


Meet Me In The Woods

by SpookiePie



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Horror, Cryptozoology, Eventual Romance, Horror, M/M, Mystery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 08:28:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 61,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21887953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookiePie/pseuds/SpookiePie
Summary: Axel has spent his life denying the existence of monsters, beasts of lore, and things that go bump under the bed. But a chance encounter in the deep woods of West Virginia forces him to face the things he’s always denied, along with the ghosts of his past. The most vexing of which takes the form of an enigmatic blond.
Relationships: Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 29





	1. Of Monsters and Men

_ All my memories gather ‘round her _

_ Miner’s lady, stranger to- _

Axel turned the radio off with a huff. Call it blasphemy, but Axel had never been a huge fan of _ Country Roads_, and singing the praises of West Virginia wasn’t doing much for his irritation at the moment. Besides, the radio had been starting to get staticky anyway, and Axel needed to concentrate on where he was driving.

Gravel crunched beneath his tires as he traversed the old dirt road, and once or twice Axel whispered apologies to his little car whenever he hit a particularly rough pothole. Above him, mist rolled down off the hills, mingling with the morning light and the tall fern trees of the Monongahela forest. It would burn off in a couple hours — around noon or so — but in the meantime it gave the whole area an almost otherworldly feel. Some might call it beautiful, but Axel just bundled his sweater tighter around himself.

Axel didn’t _ want _ to be here. He had to be, and so he was, but he made it known to the universe and anyone who would listen how displeased he was with his current assignment.

Oh sure, the season had started out well enough. Axel worked full time as a journalist from his home in Baltimore. He’d finally gotten the clearance to work on a new article the year before. _ Vanishing History: The Rise and Fall of the Small Town. _Long, poetic narratives had already been written about the dying towns in the Midwest and West Coast, once thriving on Route 66, but which had quickly dried up when the highways passed them by.

The same kind of attention wasn’t exactly granted the northeastern territories or the span of Appalachia. But the subject interested Axel, and so once he finally got permission to write it, he’d spent the better part of a year planning, looking up towns to visit and plotting his route. Once spring came and the snow finally began to melt, Axel set out, looking to travel across the northeast for the summer. He’d travel from state to state, and stop in small towns, some faring better than others, and examine what was keeping them alive. And what wasn’t.

Axel had started his journey in Maryland, of course and from there hopped over to Delaware. Being smaller states, he didn’t linger long, but he was slowed down when he reached Virginia. The state was larger and took more time to traverse, but on top of that, it turned out to be an oddly rainy summer, which worked to further slow his progress. Axel wasn’t a fool. He knew it would be a long trip, and an even longer project, possibly taking a few years to complete. Snow would eventually stall, if not entirely halt his progress, after all. But still, he had hoped to have gotten more done by the time late summer rolled around. Instead, come mid August, Axel was just beginning to breach West Virginia.

Durbin was his third stop in the state, and where his trouble really began.

The population had been on the rise until the 1950’s, when it began to taper off as steadily as it had grown. Now, with a population of less than 300, the little city kept itself alive with what tourism it could draw in. A scenic railroad and easy access to trails in the Monongahela forest kept a steady enough stream to keep the place going.

It was a familiar story, and one Axel was interested in examining for his piece.

He’d taken up lodge in a little tourist hotel there, then scoured the local library for history on the city, and sought out any local officials or old-timers who’d be more than happy to talk about the place. He liked the old timers better. They tended to be more eager to talk, and had more interesting insight into a city’s history, he discovered.

He found himself talking to one such elderly resident on a bright, Saturday morning. The old woman — Margaret — was in her seventies, plump and with a head of gray hair and a warm smile. Despite her age, she still took the time to help out at the local grocery. _ ”It keeps me young!” _ she’d said.

She’d been in the middle of regaling Axel with stories of her youth when a young woman joined them at the counter. She had choppy brown hair that reached her shoulders, green eyes, and she wore a bright orange tank top with a light sweater tied around her waist. She apologized for interrupting, but Margaret just waved the apology away.

“Morning, dear!” The old woman chirped as she began to ring up the armful of supplies the girl had brought to the register, where Axel was lingering. “Find everything you need?”

“I did,” the girl smiled and pulled a wallet out of her back pocket. 

“Good good,” Margaret nodded as she rang up the girl’s supplies — toiletries and snacks, mostly. “Any luck up there?”

The girl chucked and shook her head, helping to bag her supplies after paying. “Not yet, no. I’m sure you’ll hear about it if we find anything, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

Margaret just laughed and helped the young woman gather her bags. “Well, good luck to you! And y’all stay safe up there, okay?”

“Will do!” The brunette replied cheerily. She smiled and waved to the woman, and even spared Axel a friendly nod before she was out the door. 

Axel watched her curiously, then turned back to Margaret.

Sensing his interest, the old woman smiled and decided to indulge him. “The girl and her friends came into town about a month ago. Been staying’ up in a cabin just north of here. Called themselves... Oh, what was it? Oh, you know, like those shows on the television where you young’in’s hunt ghosts and the like?”

“Paranormal investigators?” Axel supplied, and the woman nodded eagerly.

“Yes, that! Said they were lookin’ into rumors of strange creatures in the woods.”

“Ah,” Axel nodded, though he felt his smile tighten just a hair.

“We get groups like them coming through every now and then. Lots of strange things are said to live in those mountains, you know. They seem sweet enough, though! One of the young men reminds me of my grandson.”

Axel spent the next thirty minutes learning all about Margaret’s extended family of grandchildren and great grandchildren. It was soon apparent they weren’t going to get back on the topic of the town’s history, and as much as Axel truly enjoyed the old woman’s company, he _ did _ need to get back to work. So, when he got the chance, Axel bid her farewell, and made his exit.

As he stepped out into the warm summer air, he cast a glance up at the forested hills, and frowned. “Paranormal investigators, huh?” He all but sneered and rolled his eyes, before moving on to continue his own work. His respectable, and reality-based work.

-

To Axel’s annoyance, it wasn’t the last he heard of them.

Back in his hotel that evening, he got a call from his Managing Editor. He and Larxene had a casual friendship even outside of work, and Axel often found their business conversations all eventually devolved into gossip once the work part of out of the way. She was a bit of a bastard in every sense, and Axel usually loved her for it. Usually. 

It was late into the call. Larxene has just finished spilling the most recent office gossip, and Axel was busy telling her about his time in Durbin thus far. He had just mentioned the girl from the store and the supposed ‘paranormal investigators’ when Larxene interrupted him.

“You should do a piece on them and whatever they’re investigating.”

Axel snorted and took a swig of the beer he had helped himself to. “Yeah sure, I’ll get right on that. Anyway-“

“I’m serious.”

Axel stopped mid sip, and frowned. “You’re _ not _ serious.”

“I am,” she replied, quite matter of factly.

“Larxene,” Axel set his drink down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know how I feel about that kind of shit.”

“Oh, I _ know. _ Literally everyone knows how much you totally hate it and totally don’t believe in anything weird, or spooky, or paranormal. We _ know. _” 

Axel could practically hear Larxene rolling her eyes. “Then why-“

“Because you need to be writing supplementary pieces while your off researching your big one. It’s going to take you a long time, and you have to give us _ something _ to publish in the meantime!”

“I know that,” Axel groaned. “But why this? I could write a fluff piece on... bears of the region, or something!”

“No one wants to read your fluff piece about _ bears_, Axel. People like to read about ghosts, and monsters, and urban legends. And with Halloween less than two months away, it’s a good time to put that kind of stuff out.”

Axel couldn’t really argue that logic, but he hated it all the same.

“Look,” Larxene said. “It’s just a simple fluff piece. You get in, report on whatever it is they’re investigating, along with some spooky history of the area, and you’re done. It practically writes itself. Easy.”

“Easy for you, maybe,” he huffed. “I’m not doing it.”

“Well,” he could almost hear the way Larxene’s lip curled in a petty sneer, and Axel knew he was in for it. “I’m not really giving you a choice.”

“Larxene-“

“As your Managing Editor, I’m assigning you this project. I want it delivered by the end of September.”

Axel groaned and ran a hand down his face. “You suck.”

“I know,” she replied, sounding cheery.

“You’re just doing this because you know how much I hate it.”

“Hmm, I won’t deny that’s an appealing aspect to it.”

“I hate you.”

“I know,” she said, still too cheery for Axel’s liking. “Now, I should let you go, it sounds like you have a busy, busy day tomorrow! Get some sleep, Axel. And don’t forget; On my desk by the end of September!”

With that, she hung up. Axel practically tossed his phone onto the hotel bed, and slumped further into his chair with a groan. Larxene was the worst. But she was his boss, and even though they were friends, Axel knew she wouldn’t let him weasel his way out of this.

Which was how Axel found himself taking the old, winding roads north of Durbin, into the Monongahela forest. He was looking for a cabin, one of three in the area that were rented out mostly to tourists on vacation looking to experience “the great outdoors.”

The directions had taken him along winding roads that snaked through the trees and around the hills. Soon they led him off the paved roads entirely, and onto rocky, gravel ones that shook and rattled his poor car. The trees grew more dense, caging him in on both sides as he rolled along, and Axel swore up and down that he better not have been given bad directions.

He was about to stop and turn around, or at the very least double check his gps, when the trees suddenly gave way to a small clearing. A wood cabin sat there, looking old but relatively well maintained. Pulled off to the side was a rather large R.V., the kind you drove as opposed to hauling, and one which even had the slide-out panels to extend the space inside. Axel had to marvel for a moment how someone had even managed to drive the thing through the little gravel road he’d just come down.

Fancy as it was, the thing clearly got some use, and had seen some better days. It had perhaps been a sleek and elegant model at one time, but it was definitely an older model now. The kitchy design on the side had faded to the point that Axel could no longer make out the brand’s logo, and the whole thing was littered with scuffs and scratches.

“At least they get use out of it,” he muttered as he slowly climbed out of his car. He noticed the door to the R.V. was open, and could hear a radio playing from within. 

When he closed the door to his car, someone from inside the camper called out, “Did you forget something, Hayner?”

Axel didn’t know how to answer that, seeing as he wasn’t this Hayner, so he didn’t. When the other person got no response, they stuck their head out the door, and Axel was met with the young woman from the day before. That meant he was in the right place at least.

“Oh,” she said, looking surprised. “Sorry I thought you were someone else. Uhhh...” she hopped down the steps of the camper, but didn’t approach Axel. She looked him up and down a bit warily, before recognition hit her. “_ Oh, _ I saw you yesterday! At the grocer!”

Axel nodded and gave her what he hoped to be a friendly smile. “Yeah, that’s me. Good to see you again Miss, uh...”

“Olette,” she answered. “And you are-?”

“Axel. Axel Cunningham.”

As he spoke, another person poked their head out of the camper. “Who is it, Olette?” he asked. He was shorter than his female companion, and a bit chubby, with brown hair pushed back with a headband. Olette glanced back over her shoulder to look at him and shrugged.

“Says his name’s Axel,” she replied, then turned her attention back to their guest. “This here’s Pence.” She pointed with her thumb at her companion, and Axel offered an awkward wave. “So, Axel... what can we do for ya?”

“Right, well, I couldn’t help but overhear yesterday that you... are looking into... paranormal stuff around here?” To say the question — the whole situation even — was awkward was an understatement. Axel mentally kicked himself and cursed Larxene.

Olette and Pence shared a puzzled look, before Pence nodded. “Yeah, something like that. Why?”

“Ah, well, I’m a journalist you see,” Axel answered quickly, hoping to put their minds at ease. They seemed wary of him, and he couldn’t blame them. “I’m doing a piece on shrinking small towns and was traveling around looking into it and- never mind. I heard about you while I was in Durbin and thought... I could do a small piece on your work and whatever it is you’re investigating?” He ended rather weakly, and when he got more puzzled stares he added, “Would that... could I interview you all for the article?”

Pence and Olette shared another look between them, seeming to have a silent conversation that Axel was not privy to. Finally, Pence just shrugged and disappeared back into the camper, leaving Olette to answer.

“I mean, it’s alright with me ‘n Pence but... you’ll have to ask Boss about it. He gets final say.”

“Right,” Axel nodded. “And... where can I find this, uh, Boss?”

Olette nodded towards the cabin. “He’s in there, but I wouldn’t bother him if I were you. He’ll be out in a bit so just wait around here, alright?”

“Uhh, yeah, sure,” Axel nodded. Though truth be told, he really _ didn’t _ want to wait around until this “Boss” person was ready. Axel wanted to get in and out as soon as possible.

Grumbling a little at being made to wait, Axel parked himself on the old picnic table that sat just a few feet from the cabin’s porch. He pulled his tablet out from his messenger bag and began to take some notes and do a bit of preliminary writing.

He wrote about the area, the nearby town, and what led him here. He tried to google a little about local urban legends to see if he could figure out what the team might be investigating, but his connection was weak and it was a slow search.

Eventually, the woman — Olette — came back out of the RV. She smiled at Axel, then busied herself around the site. She messed with what appeared to be equipment sitting around, and went in and out of the cabin a few times. Axel watched her quietly, until she seemed to disappear back into the cabin for good, leaving Axel once again on his own.

Quite alone.

Axel didn’t venture into the woods much anymore. Hiking, camping, and any other activities that took him out of the comfort of the city, or even a well-populated town, were things he had avoided since his youth. He’d almost forgotten the way the woods were both loud and quiet all at once. The way they could make one feel completely isolated and alone, and yet totally surrounded.

Because you were alone, in a sense. You could wander into the forest and be the only person for miles. And yet, life was all around you. The rustling leaves, the insects, the wildlife that kept hidden.

All the things that were there yet... unseen. Things that watched.

Something shifted in the corner of Axel’s eye and he jumped up from the table. He hated the woods, and he needed to keep himself busy to forget that.

Looking at his phone, Axel sighed when he saw the time. He’d been waiting for a good thirty minutes by that point. He glanced back up at the cabin, at the old wooden front door. Surely it wouldn’t hurt just to... check right?

Slowly, Axel ambled up to the front porch, with the intent to knock and just... _ see _ if this Boss person would talk.

Just as he placed his foot on the first step, the door swung open. Olette stood in the doorway, blocking Axel’s view inside, and shot him a knowing look. Axel couldn’t help but feel she’d known he was coming.

“Boss will be ready when he’s ready,” she told him and shut the door firmly behind herself. “He ain’t much of a mornin’ person, so you’ll just have to be patient.”

She gracefully hopped down the steps of the porch and went back to work doing... whatever it was she was doing. Axel hadn’t been paying much attention.

There’d be no knocking on the front door with her around, though, so Axel sighed heavily and retreated back towards the picnic table. He took a long, sweeping look around the site, then called to Olette. 

“Mind if I take some photos? For the article?” If he was going to have to wait, he might as well get as much work done as he could.

Olette stopped, arms full of firewood she was currently carrying towards the cabin. She looked around the site herself, as if making sure there was nothing off limits to Axel’s camera. Finally, she shrugged. “Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem. Boss might wanna have final approval over which ones you use, but it should be fine.”

She went back to work, and Axel ambled over to his car to pull out his camera. It was an old model, not nearly as sleek and shiny as current ones on the market. But Axel was by no means a professional photographer, and it worked just fine for what he needed.

He checked the battery life and the settings, before he took a couple quick test shots of the picnic table, and his car. When they met his approval he got to work, taking shots of the campsite and surrounding woods. He got photos of the towering trees around them, of the hills that loomed beyond, of the RV camper and equipment around it, the picnic table and the firepit a few yards away, and finally of the cabin.

When Axel flipped through the photos on the small screen, he found the ones of the cabin... unusable, to say the least. Odd parts of them looked as though the photo itself had been smudged, or blurred in some way. Like someone had taken a finger to wet paint and smeared part of it away.

Axel deleted them all without hesitation or question as to why.

He’d just try a different angle and if that didn’t work then... so be it.

Axel aimed his camera at the cabin again, then stopped when an idea hit him. From the corner of his eye, he checked Olette’s position, and saw the woman was at the door to the RV, apparently talking to the man inside.

Slowly, Axel began to edge around the perimeter of the camp site, pretending to be busy photographing the area as he rounded further and further towards the backside of the cabin. He’d snap a photo, glance back to make sure the woman wasn’t watching, then shuffle a few more few around the cabin, pretending to be positioning himself for another shot. 

When Olette was no longer in sight, he stopped, camera still raised as he waited to see if he’d been noticed. When the woman didn’t come running around the cabin to catch him, Axel dropped the act. He made a beeline towards the rear of the cabin and was rewarded with exactly what he’d been hoping for.

A back door.

There was no grand porch around this one, like the front entrance, just three wooden steps that led up to a much simpler looking wood door. Axel climbed them and paused, fist hovering above the old wood. He took a deep breath, hoping this ‘Boss’ was friendly, before he rapped his knuckles against the wood.

And he waited.

When there was no answer, he tried again. And again, there was no answer. Olette has said he wasn’t a morning person, but surely he wasn’t still asleep, right?

Axel clicked his tongue and looked around a bit as he debated what to do. He didn’t want to go back to waiting. He didn’t want to be here in the first place and didn’t want to be made to wait around. And, truth be told, the longer he waited the... stranger everything felt.

He didn’t like the woods.

He didn’t like... the feeling this place, and perhaps to an extent, these people gave him.

And it was strange, he thought. In his experience, the ghost hunter type, the so-called ‘paranormal investigators’ were always so _ eager _ to talk. Tell them a journalist was there to ask them questions, and they came running, so ready and so happy to share their, in Axel’s opinion, crackpot stories and theories. Axel did his best to avoid their type, and still managed to be trapped in one too many conversations with BigFoot hunters or UFO “experts.”

Axel had never seen a crew act so... cagey before. He didn’t like it.

He could walk away, of course. The logical part of him said to do just that. Pack up and drive away. Fuck this ‘Boss’ person and his crew and whatever ‘monster’ they’re chasing and go back to Durbin. Axel could fabricate a story and an interview just fine, right? He could google local urban legends and write about that and Larxene wouldn’t have to know.

Axel could carry on with his own work and not look into... _ whatever _ it was in this place that made him feel so... not _ right_.

And yet, that feeling was also why he stayed.

So, in an act completely out of character for a man who’d spent the last twenty-some-odd years trying desperately to mind his own business, Axel reached out and turned the doorknob. When it proved to be locked, as Axel had suspected, he moved onto step two.

It had been years since he’d done it, but Axel still remembered the way old locks on old buildings were so flimsy. So easy to pick. With his camera slung around his neck by its strap, Axel pulled a hair pin from his back pocket. With his wild mane of red hair, he kept an unending stash of pins and hair ties on hand at all times, just in case. He didn’t suspect that ‘just in case’ would mean for lock picking, of course, but here he was.

So, pin in hand, Axel went about trying to jimmy the lock open. It had been years, and Axel had a harder time trying to manipulate the old tumblers into place with his pin. He cursed under his breath, and jiggled the knob a bit as he tried to remember exactly how to manipulate the damn thing.

Then all at once, there was a click. Axel let out a breath and a small laugh, thinking he had succeeded.

He had not.

Instead, the door swung open from the inside, and Axel found himself staring down the dark, double barrel of a shotgun.

Axel’s hands were in the air in an instant, and he very slowly, very carefully, backed down the three steps.

“You better have a good explanation there, Red,” came the accented voice from the other end of the sawed off shotgun.

Axel swallowed hard and peered around the weapon, surprised to see its owner was a man just around Axel’s age. A few years his junior even, if Axel had to guess. He had light blond hair that swooped up to the side of his head, and Axel couldn’t quite tell if it was intentional or just bed-head. His skin was tanned from the sun and he had bright blue eyes that Axel could only describe as... intense. He wore an old, red plaid button up with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and which had clearly seen better days. An unlit cigarette sat pinched between his lips.

Most notable of all perhaps, were the scars. Multiple streaks of skin, paler than the rest and slightly raised, started just above the man’s right jaw and trailed down his neck and below his shirt, only to re-emerge again along his right forearm. Clearly, they had long-since healed up, but the wound must have been nasty.

Scars notwithstanding, there was something familiar about him, though Axel didn’t dwell on it, as the shotgun barrel bobbed in his face to grab his attention.

“I’m waitin’,” the man drawled.

Axel took a deep breath and spoke slowly. “Are you... ‘Boss?’ I’m uh... I’m here to do a story on you and your crew. You’re... paranormal investigators, right?”

The man, Boss, was silent as peered at Axel with those blue eyes, as if searching for something in Axel’s face. Axel felt... oddly exposed under his intense gaze.

The man looked ready to say something, when a shout caught both of their attention.

“Woah, woah, _ woah! _ Hold up, Boss!” The man from the RV — Pence, was it? — came running around the side of the cabin, and skidded to a halt just a few feet away, panting. “Boss, it’s alright. This is Mr. Cunningham. He’s uh, a journalist, right?” He asked, looking to Axel for affirmation.

Axel nodded quickly, quite thankful to the stockier man for coming to his rescue. 

“Y-yeah I am! See? Just here to do a story!”

Boss looked between Axel and Pence, before slowly lowering the gun. “Thanks, Pence,” he said with a nod to the other man. “Tell Olette I’ll be coming ‘round in just a sec.”

Pence nodded and shot Axel what could only be called an apologetic smile, before hurrying back off from where he came.

That left Axel and Boss alone, which Axel wasn’t sure he liked.

“What’s yer name, Red?” 

Axel’s attention snapped back up to Boss, and he stared for a moment. “Sorry?”

“I said, what’s yer name? I ain’t calling you ‘Mr. Cunningham.’ And put yer hands down!” The man huffed.

Axel, who only then realized his hands were still in the air, quickly dropped them back down to his sides. “Oh, uh... it’s Axel. You can call me Axel. And.. you are...?”

The man grunted and, to Axel’s immense relief, set the sawed off shotgun back down inside, on a table close to the door. He then stepped out and firmly shut the back door behind himself with a definitive click.

“You can call me Boss.” He began to walk around the side of the cabin and motioned with his head for Axel to follow. Which Axel did, without question. “So, what can I do for you, Axel?” 

“Right well, like I said, I’m here to do a story on you and your crew,” Axel said, walking alongside Boss. The man ambled slowly, relaxed, and now that Axel was no longer standing three steps beneath him, he saw that Boss was actually a good foot or so shorter than Axel himself. Still intimidating though.

“‘S that right?” He murmured, smirking a little around the cigarette.

“Yes,” Axel nodded. “See I was in town doing a piece about Durbin, er sort of, and I caught wind of your crew. I... thought it would make for an interesting story to interview you and get a bit of info on, well... what you’re looking for and what exactly it is you... _ do._”

Boss nodded a little, though it was the only indication he’d been listening as he ambled around the campsite. He seemed in no hurry to answer Axel as he checked on equipment and supplies, stopping to ask Pence and Olette questions now and then.

“This the last of the firewood?” He asked, kicking the small pile Olette had gathered by the front of the cabin.

“Yup,” she nodded. “Hayner’s in town gettin’ more. Sorry, I woulda gotten some yesterday while I was out, had I noticed.”

Boss just shrugged. “It’s fine. Hayner will get plenty and, worse comes to worst, we’re in a forest. There’s plenty o’ wood around us we can gather in an emergency, so long as it’s dry.”

As Boss continued to wander around camp, Axel felt his initial intimidation of the man melt away, and be replaced by the same impatience he’d had earlier. Finally, after tailing the man for a few more minutes, he spoke up.

“Boss, look, I don’t wanna get in the way of your work or keep you too long, so if I could just ask you a few questions-“

Boss stopped suddenly, and Axel nearly toppled over in an attempt not to crash into him. 

“Lemme make this really easy for you, Mr. Axel Cunningham,” he said as he reached into his back pocket and fished out and old lighter. He held it to the cigarette still stuck between his lips and clicked it a few times before it finally sparked to life. He took a long pull from the cigarette once it was lit and stowed the lighter away. A thick wave of smoke poured from his lips as he blew out, and rose to mingle with the last bits of remaining fog.

“There ain’t anything in these woods. Not beyond the usual wildlife.”

_ That _ had not been the answer Axel was expecting.

“I’m... I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me, there ain’t shit in these woods.” Boss took another pull from his cigarette. “So I ain’t got nothin’ to tell ya. Go back to Durbin and make up a story about us, for all I care. Google local urban legends and pick yer favorite and say that’s what we’re lookin’ for.”

Axel didn’t know what to say. It was almost word for word what he’d told himself to do earlier. It should be a relief! He didn’t have to stay and actually look into this stupid story!

But it didn’t sit right.

“Sorry, you’re actually your sayin-“

“I said there’s nothing here.The time you’re wasting is mostly yer own,” Boss said, with a flippant wave of his hand, and Axel leaned away to avoid the little cloud of cigarette smoke that trailed behind.

Axel paused for a moment, scanning Boss’ face as though it held any answers for him.

“So,” he said slowly. “What? You’re sure there’s nothing out there? Your team already looked into... whatever it is you came to look into and found that it’s fake?”

“That’s right.”

Axel narrowed his eyes. “I take it you’ll be packing up and getting out of here soon, then?”

“Sure,” the other man nodded.

“Then why was your crew member buying more supplies yesterday? Hell, why is another one of them buying more wood today? Wood isn’t exactly something you stock up on when you’re planning to leave soon. Sounds to me like you’ll be here for awhile,” Axel said, watching Boss’ face carefully as he spoke. The man didn’t flinch, but the way he suddenly went very still was a good enough tell. “What were you investigating here anyway?”

“Does it matter?” The man asked, voice tight and gaze pointedly averted. 

“Being kinda cagey with your answers, Boss,” Axel replied. “Most cryptid hunters can’t wait to talk your ear off about BigFoot, or the Mothman or whatever.”

“Is that what you’re hoping for?” Boss chuckled. “Didn’t know you were such a fan of the supernatural.”

“I’m not,” Axel replied, perhaps a bit too quickly as it garnered a raised eyebrow from Boss. “I mean... look, I’m not the biggest fan of this stuff. I kind of hate it, actually. No offense to you and your own, but I think it’s all a lot of... nonsense. Made up.”

“A lot of it is,” Boss shrugged, seemingly not offended.

“More like _ all _ of it,” Axel muttered.

That seemed to get Boss’ attention. The man’s eyes snapped back up to Axel and he stared at him with a surprised expression. He then scoffed, “Oh come on, there’s gotta be _ one _ thing you believe in. Everyone believes in at least one thing.”

“Not me,” Axel shrugged.

Boss’ eyes narrowed and he regarded Axel for a long, quiet moment. Again, Axel felt as if he were looking for something in Axel’s face. An answer to a question he hadn’t asked.

“So then why are you here?”

Axel could only shrug and roll his eyes. “I was told to come here and get a story by my manager.”

“And why are you _ still _here?”

“Because I don’t _ have _ that story,” Axel ground out, annoyed and impatient for what felt like the tenth time that day.

“For the last time, you can make up a story like I told ya to. You’re the only one makin’ this so hard.”

“Maybe I don’t _ want _ to make up a story. Maybe _ now _ I wanna get to the bottom of why you are so unwilling to talk for even ten minutes about... magic _ bears _ or whatever the hell is in those woods!”

“White things.”

“And I-... what?” Axel came up short, surprised by Boss’ rather calm and matter of factly response to Axel’s own raised voice, which was by then gaining the attention of Pence and Olette.

“Or devil dogs, if you like. They’re more like wolves, supposedly, not bears,” Boss shrugged and flicked a bit of ash from his cigarette. “And maybe, I just don’t want you getting in my way. Disturbing my work. Did you consider that, Mr. Cunningham?”

Axel opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again, a bit at a loss for words under Boss’ scrutinizing gaze. He felt rather foolish all of a sudden. He had been feeling so put out and inconvenienced, he didn’t really consider Boss and his team might be feeling the same way about him. It wasn’t like _ they _ were the ones who asked him to come out there, after all. Axel chewed at his bottom lip and took a deep breath.

“Look, I-“

He was cut off by the sound of a vehicle approaching. Gravel crunched under heavy tires, and Axel turned to see a beat up red pickup truck pulling up close to the RV, music blaring out of the rolled down windows. The man inside cut the engine and hopped out. He had dirty blond hair which was brushed back and away from his face, and he was donned in a dark hoodie and faded camo pants. 

“Firewood’s here!” He called, tossing the truck keys to Olette as she came to meet him. He looked around and his eyes quickly locked onto Axel and Boss. He eyed Axel up and down appraisingly, then leveled him was a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Yo, Roxas! Who’s the redhead?”

Next to him, Axel heard Boss — Roxas — exhale a deep, exasperated sigh. 

“_Roxas_,” he said slowly, and it felt like the final puzzle piece fell into place. The cageyness, the odd looks the man shot him, the strange sense of familiarity Axel got from him. Axel took a deep breath and closed his eyes, nodding as he spoke again, “_Roxas Brooks._”

Next to him, there was a small, affirmative grunt, and Axel opened his eyes to see Roxas taking a long, deep drag from the cigarette. He polished off what remained of it in one pull, before stooping to put it out on the bottom of his shoe.

“What’s it been, Axel? Seventeen — eighteen years? Long time.”

Axel didn’t have a response for that. He didn’t _ want _to respond to that, because frankly, he didn’t know what it implied. Was it a simple, matter of fact statement, or did Roxas mean something by it? He didn’t know.

Roxas just shrugged and spun around with a rather tight smile on his face. “Hayner!” He called out, and by the way the other man’s smirk slipped right from his face, Axel could tell he picked up on the tension as well. “Why don’t you, Pence, and Olette come meet my old _ friend_, Axel Cunningham.”


	2. Schrödinger’s Cryptid

“So, lemme get this straight. Y’all two _ know _ each other?” Olette asked, glancing between the two men. The group had reconvened around the picnic table, where Roxas perched himself up on the table part, while Axel stood next to him, somewhat awkwardly. Olette looked him up and down appraisingly before turning her accusatory eye to Roxas. “You coulda told us that sooner, maybe?”

Roxas, who had already lit up another cigarette, probably in response to the interrogation, just shrugged. “I was trying to chase him off before he or any of you realized.”

“Why would wanna do that?” Pence asked, looking just as befuddled as Olette.

“Because we’re busy and don’t need some journalist distracting us,” Roxas replied, as though it were obvious.

“Yeah, but this ain’t just any journalist. I mean, he’s your _ friend_, right?” Hayner spoke up, though it didn’t seem in Axel’s defense. Not with the way the man had his arms folded over this chest, and the suspicious glances he kept throwing Axel’s way. “A friend you’ve failed to tell us about all these years.”

To that, Roxas just scoffed. “When do I tell you anything, Hayner?”

Hayner shrugged. “Fair enough. Still...”

“How exactly do you know each other anyway?” Pence piped up again.

Roxas took another drag from his cigarette as he turned to look at Axel. Axel wasn’t sure if he was being given permission to explain, or told to do so.

“Well,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Roxas lived in the same little town as my grandmother. I used to visit every summer and... that’s how I met Roxas. We became friends and spent our summers together.”

“We lost touch when Axel’s grandma passed and Axel had no reason to visit.”

“And... that’s it?” Pence asked, after a beat of silence.

“What more do you want?” Roxas snorted.

“I mean, you two just seem-“

Roxas didn’t let him finish, as he chose that moment to hop off the table. “Anyway, like I said we _ do _ have work to do. Ain’t none of us gettin’ paid to sit around. So, Axel, as lovely as it’s been, I think it’s time ya hit the ro-“

“I’m not leaving.”

Roxas fell silent, and all eyes were suddenly back on Axel. Roxas smiled at him, though it was tight, and held very little actual mirth.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I said, I’m not going,” Axel replied and met the shorter man’s gaze, holding it in a small battle of wills. “I came out here to get a story, and I’m not leaving ‘til I do.”

Roxas shifted the cigarette in his mouth as he regarded Axel. “And what will it take for you to get yer story? A little interview? Some history on local legends?”

“I don’t know,” Axel said cooly. And truth be told, he didn’t know why he was doing any of this. The logical part of his brain _ screamed _ that he should take the offer and go back to town. Leave fucking _ Roxas Brooks _ and his team and his dumb job behind and never look back. 

But something else compelled him to stay. Maybe it was the strangeness of the situation, the odd serendipity of seeing Roxas after so many years. Maybe it was the nagging feeling he got that he wasn’t getting the whole story. That there was something else going on with Roxas and his team that they were trying to keep him from knowing. The strangeness of the cabin, and the clearing, and the people within that made Axel work extra hard to ignore all of the things he usually did his best to pretend didn’t exist.

Maybe Axel was just petty and wanted to be a thorn in Roxas’ side a little longer, in retaliation for... for what? Concealing who he was? Being a terse little prick? For what.

Maybe it didn’t matter.

“In fact,” Axel said slowly as he looked around the camp, as though appraising it. “I think there’s a _ lot _ to work with here in terms of writing an article. _ So much _ in fact that I may need to stay here a day or two to get it all down. I’m sure you don’t mind, right?”

“Of course I _ mind_,” Roxas shot back. “Don’t play coy, I already told you I don’t want you botherin’ us.”

Axel just shrugged and sent Roxas what he hoped was his best shit-eating grin. “That’s a shame. It’s also a shame that you can’t stop me. This isn’t exactly your private property, and I get the feeling you’re not gonna call the cops on me for harassment.” If Roxas was so cagey around Axel, he didn’t think he’d be any more eager to talk to state police, even if he wasn’t doing anything untoward.

Roxas just glared back at him, eyes narrowed and cigarette twitching where it was clenched tightly between his lips.

“_Fine,”_ he finally spat. “But don’t get in my, or my team’s way.”

With that, Roxas turned on a heel and stalked away, with Hayner close behind.

Axel relished then small victory for a moment, before he realized exactly what he’d done.

Oh god what had he gotten himself in to?

-

Fortunately for Axel, Pence and Olette took mercy on him.

Pence started by walking him around the camp. He explained what some of their equipment was, and their usual M.O. for investigating urban legends. He talked about how the four of them had met at a local community college. Part of a cryptozoology club, of which they had been the only four members.

Axel liked him well enough. Pence was friendly and cheerful, and actually seemed happy to talk about his work once he had a captive audience. As it turned out, Pence was skilled with computers and technology, making him the designated man in charge of data logging and any other tech-heavy aspects of their work, as the other three were apparently woefully bad in that area of expertise.

“Don’t tell them this, but between you and me, I once ran my own private experiment on them. I put each of them in charge of data logging for a day, just to see which one would mess up the worst and or the fastest.” He shot Axel a sly grin. “Roxas ‘won’, by the way. He managed to brick the laptop in less than half an hour. I was honestly impressed.”

After Pence came Olette, who greeted Axel around lunchtime with a sandwich she’d made for him. “Roxas doesn’t have to know we fed you,” she’d said with a wink.

Olette was the group’s survival expert. When it came to hunting, tracking, camping, fishing, lighting a fire, you name it, Olette was your girl, and she clearly took pride in that. Axel couldn’t relate, having retreated to the big city years ago, but he respected her for it.

She showed him the inside of the RV, and explained how it was their home away from home, and how the four of them had to pile up inside of it when lodgings such as motels or, in this case a cabin, weren’t available.

And it _ had _ been lived in.

The place wasn’t dirty, per se, but it had definitely been well used and well loved for years. Personal effects littered the small space. Small stone statues, the kind you’d find in rest stop gas stations and national park gift shops decorated the dash of the vehicle. 

Strands of string, with feathers and stones knitted within them that Olette called ‘witches knots’ hung on one wall, along with a large wreath made from bundled sticks, dried flowers, and more gemstones.

Photos and postcards also dotted the walls, showing the four in various stages in their life in various places across the country. Axel spotted postcards from the east coast to the west, and everywhere in between.

Books on wildlife and cryptozoology were piled in one corner, and the whole space had a faint smell of sage and other herbs.

“You all really cram in here together?” He asked as he looked around.

“Yup! I won’t lie, it gets pretty cramped. All the couches here fold out into beds, and there’s actually a bedroom in the back with a larger bed as well. We take turns on who gets that one,” she chuckled. “Of course, we’ve all taken turns sleeping in the truck a couple times, when we just couldn’t _ stand _ to be around each other anymore. You can understand why we try to stop at a motel or something as much as we can. It’s not always an option though.”

Axel nodded. He could imagine what a relief something like their current cabin might be after hours, if not _ days _ on the road, crammed into the RV together.

“You know...” Olette said slowly, and Axel looked over at her to see the woman staring at a few of the photos pinned to the wall. “Hayner was wrong. Roxas _ has _ mentioned you before.”

Axel was silent for a moment, unsure of how that statement made him feel, or if there was any hidden in implication behind it. “Is that right?”

Olette nodded. “It was a long time ago, so... who knows if any of them even remember, but Roxas did mention you once or twice. Talked about his friend from his home town who he spent summers with. You know, Roxas won’t talk about why he got into doing all... _ this_,” she gestured around them. “But it must have been somethin’ big. I always assumed you were part of it.” She chuckled to herself then. “You know, he doesn’t talk about it — or you. Goes real quiet when asked, so I guess I always just assumed that, well... you _ died_, or somethin’. Good to see that you didn’t, though I suppose it makes me all the more curious.” 

She hummed to herself in thought, and Axel didn’t reply. He didn’t really know what to say to any of that.

Fortunately, it seemed Olette wasn't looking for an answer, as she swept him back out of the RV and continued on with his little tour of their campsite.  
  


Hayner didn’t seem so eager to talk with him. In fact, when Olette deposited Axel in his care, Hayner opted to put him to work, rather than talk about himself or the team. 

He sat Axel down at the picnic table with a huge map of the surrounding forest, as well as a second, smaller park map that had hiking trails all marked and highlighted in different colors.

“Here,” he said, tossing Axel a bunch of highlighters and colored pens. “Highlight where all those hiking trails are on the larger map.”

Before Axel even had a chance to protest, the man walked away, and Axel was left with the busy work he’d been assigned. He stared at the large map laid out in front of him, and thought of just walking away. Refusing to be bossed around and made to do the team’s menial tasks.

Instead, he got to work.

He stopped only when he realized the sun was beginning to go down, casting the little clearing into a wash of golden and red hues. Olette stopped next to him and looked down at the map he’d been diligently working on. Axel expected praise for all the work he’d put into it, but instead when he looked up at the woman, she was looking at the map with a perplexed expression.

“What, uh... what’cha doing there?”

Axel paused. He looked from Olette, to the map, and back to Olette again. “I’m... marking hiking trails? I was told you needed them... marked... on the map?”

Olette stared at him blankly for a moment, before replying, “We... already have a large map with all the trails marked.”

“What? But, Hayner said-“

Olette groaned and turned to look over her shoulder, “_Hayner!_”

“What?” Hayner, who appeared to be transporting an armful of blankets from the cabin to the RV, shot back.

“You can’t just make Axel do... whatever this is!”

“Why not? It’s not my job to babysit him,” he sneered then carried on his way.

Next to Axel, Olette let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry ‘bout that. Guess he kinda wasted your time there...”

“Kinda,” Axel nodded and looked back down at his wasted work. He’d complain more, but honestly he felt a little silly for falling for it. With a sigh he leaned back, and cast a glance around the site, frowning. There was one member of the crew he hadn’t seen since that late morning.

“Hey, where’s Roxas?”

“Hmm? Oh, probably off scouting the woods,” Olette said with a shrug.

Unable to hide his slight apprehension, Axel murmured, “It’s getting dark.”

But Olette just smiled, seeming unfazed. “He’ll be fine. This is part of the job, so Roxas is used to it. He’ll make it back soon enough. We’re probably gonna start packing up soon though. Head inside and get some dinner. Did you... wanna join us?”

“Oh, uh...”

“I mean, you’re not heading back into town, are you? It’s getting dark, after all,” she said, echoing his previous statement. Something in her voice sounded apprehensive. “Roads aren’t well lit, you.. could get lost.”

That last part sounded a bit tacked on, as though Axel getting lost wasn’t her main worry. Axel didn’t know what that might mean, but it set him on edge.

“No. I mean, maybe? I dunno, I didn’t really plan to be out this late,” he said, feeling a bit embarrassed at his own impulsiveness and lack of planning. 

“Well, c’mon inside and I’m sure we can figure out some kind of sleeping arrangement for you, ‘kay?”

“Sure, I... I’ll be in in a bit. I kinda want to stay out here a little longer.”

Olette watched him quietly — appraisingly — for a moment, before she nodded, relenting. “Suit yourself, but you _ are _ welcome to join us.”

Axel nodded and gave her his thanks, before shooing her off back towards the cabin. He watched quietly as the three members all went inside, before he let out a heavy sigh and laid his head down on the table with a heavy _ thunk_.

It had been very kind of Olette to offer him food and shelter but, well, Axel couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding on the others. On their lives and their work and their clearly tight-knit group. Axel was a third wheel. A fifth wheel? Wow what a terrible wheel to be.

On top of that, Axel wanted time to be alone with his thoughts. The day hadn’t been at all what he’d been expecting, and it had been exhausting.

Roxas Brooks was not someone he thought he’d ever see again. In many ways, Axel had probably done his best to forget the other man’s existence altogether. And yet, here he was, in some ways so different from how Axel remembered him, and yet, in many other ways so similar to the 10-year-old boy Axel had last known him as.

It was strange, seeing him now. Axel wanted to know everything that had happened to him in the past 18 years as much as Axel wanted to shove him away and snuff out the last remaining remembrance he had of the man.

Axel cast another glance back at the cabin. The sun had dipped far behind the wooded hills, sending the little clearing into darkness, lit only by the warm glow of the cabin’s windows, and the stars that appeared one by one above.

Axel still hadn’t seen Roxas return, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t. There was a back door, after all. And with the mood Roxas had left in, Axel wouldn’t be surprised if the other was avoiding him.

A quiet breeze rustled through the trees, and Axel was once again keenly award of the woods around him. The trees looked much more menacing in the dark, and it sent a shiver down Axel’s spine. He didn’t want to be out here.

But, as much as Axel longed to join the others in the cabin, he couldn’t. It was too weird. Too awkward. He was too much of an intrusion. 

He’d... just sleep in his car. 

Getting up from the table, Axel folded up the map he’d been given, and retreated to his little old vehicle. Thankful he kept a spare blanket in the trunk, Axel grabbed it then climbed into the back seat. He made sure all the doors were securely locked and the windows rolled up, before he made himself comfortable.

Well, ‘comfortable’ was a bit... generous. Axel’s long limbs were not made for the confines of his little car, and the backseat certainly didn’t make for a comfortable bed. On top of that, he could still hear the rustling of the trees outside. The cry of an owl, and incessant chirping of crickets. The things he pretended weren’t there always seemed louder at night, especially without the noise of a city to drown them out.

Axel shut his eyes and took a deep breath. It was just for a night. Axel could stand it for a night, and then he could leave the next day. Hell, maybe by then he’d be able to put away his pride and scurry back to town to fabricate his article for Larxene.

At least it wasn’t cold. That, Axel told himself, was a small mercy.

-

As much as Axel didn’t expect to get a lot of sleep that night, he did manage to doze off. He must have, as the next thing he knew, he was being roused by... an odd noise he couldn’t quite place.

It pulled him slowly from his sleep, groggy and disoriented. He peeled his eyes open and sleepily looked around the small space of his car. It was dark. God it was _ so _ dark, and that instantly made Axel want to close his eyes and burrow into his blankets once again.

But then he heard it. It was a small sound, soft and unintelligible. Axel froze, holding his breath as he listened. It sounded like... a voice? Something small, and soft, calling out from miles away.

Axel sat up, straining his ears to listen. Was it a voice? Or maybe an animal. Wolves and coyotes could sound like voices when distorted by distance, right? But... there was something about it. If Axel listened hard enough, he thought he could almost make out words. Were they crying? Was someone in trouble?

Before he knew it, Axel was reaching for the door handle. He hesitated, not wanting to wander out into the dark, dark night. But what if someone _ was _ out there? What if they needed help? Could Axel sit by and do nothing?

His fingers just barely brushed the handle, when there was a knock on the window behind him. Axel yelped, and practically threw himself to the other side of the car, away from the nose. 

He spun around to see Roxas staring at him from outside.

“Jesus _ fuck!_” Axel hissed and clutched at his chest where his heart hammered wildly inside his rib cage.

Roxas gave him a look, then stepped out of the way as Axel climbed back to the other side of the car and opened the door.

“Didn’t think you’d be so jumpy,” he remarked. “Well, c’mon let’s get you inside.”

“Wh-what?” Axel asked, still a bit shaken from the scare.

“Inside? The cabin?” Roxas motioned towards the log building with his head. “You’re not sleeping out here.”

“Oh, no, it's fine,” Axel began to protest. “I don’t wanna impos-“

“You can’t sleep in the car, Axel. You’re like... ten feet tall, it’ll destroy your back and your joints. C’mon, there’s a couch inside that, while not great, is better than this.” He waved his hand at Axel’s car, and Axel would have been a bit offended at the possible insult, if he weren't grateful and relieved at the very direct command to go sleep inside.

Detangling himself from his blanket, Axel clambered out of the car. He already felt a bit stiff and dreaded what a full night’s sleep in the backseat would have done to him. He started to follow Roxas back towards the cabin, when he noticed the man was still wearing the same shirt and jeans he had been when he left camp. 

“You’re just now getting back?”

Roxas glanced back over his shoulder with a small smirk. “Sorry, did I miss my curfew?”

“No, I just... Never mind. But, hey, uh...” Axel came to a stop and Roxas followed suit when he noticed the other no longer waking behind him. “Did you... hear anything out there just a second ago? Or while you were out there even?”

“Hear something?”

“Yeah, like... I dunno, like a voice or something like that?”

Roxas frowned and shook his head. “No, can’t say that I did.”

“Oh...” Axel glanced at the tree line and rubbed the back of his neck. “I just... right before you knocked on the window, I thought I heard something-“

“You didn’t,” Roxas said, cutting him off.

“But-“

“Axel, you didn’t hear anything. You were in the car and I was outside. If there was anything to hear, I would have heard it better than you. You probably just let yourself get spooked out. The woods can do that to ya.” He shrugged, then motioned for Axel to follow him again. “Now, c’mon let’s get inside.”

Axel took one last look at the tree line and decided Roxas was probably right. He breathed a sigh and followed the man into the awaiting cabin.

It was warm inside, and a bit dim, with the open living room lit only by a low, simmering fire in the fireplace. It was quaint, and decorated exactly how Axel would have expected a wood cabin to be. Oak furniture and hardwood floors, softened by warm, patterned textiles like a plush throw rug, and dark green cushions and pillows. Antlers hung as decoration along the walls, along with paintings of local scenic views and wildlife. The ceiling was high, supported with thick wood beams, and a chandelier made from dark iron hung from the center of it.

Hayner was sprawled out on the couch, asleep and half covered with a red throw blanket. Roxas walked over to the man and patted his cheek with the back of his hand to rouse him. “Get up Hayner,” he said softly.

Hayner grumbled and batted at Roxas’s hand before blinking his eyes open. “Mmf, good yer back,” he said and stretched, before slowly sitting up.

“Yeah, I’m back,” Roxas chuckled. “Go on to bed,”

Hayner groaned as he peeled himself off the couch. He offered Axel a small nod before he wandered up the stairs, presumably to where the bedrooms were.

Roxas watched him go, then ambled into the kitchen, which was open plan and connected to the living room. “Did you eat?”

Axel kicked his shoes off by the front door and wandered into the center of the living room to get a look around. “Not since lunch.”

“Good, me ‘neither,” Roxas replied, and Axel heard him open the fridge and rummage through the contents within.

Axel made to follow, when his eyes caught on the pile of books and documents spread out on the coffee table. There were books and pamphlets on local wildlife as well as urban legends. Supposed monsters that lived in the Monongahela forest. There was a large map, much like the one Hayner had assigned him to mark, spread out and covered in notes and markers scribbled all over it. There were also open notebooks with what looked like pages and pages of notes in them, written in four distinct sets of handwriting. 

Somewhere in the kitchen, Axel heard the distant sound of kitchenware and cutlery being shuffled around, along with the starting of the microwave. But he found himself more interested in the notes and research logs spread out before him, than the prospect of food.

A name caught his eye. White Things. That had been what Roxas had mentioned earlier that day, right? Some kind of... wolf-like creature? It must be, especially with the various pictures of a lupine monster depicted in the books and scribbled amongst the handwritten notes.

He nearly jumped when a hand holding a bowl suddenly cut into his line of sight. He straightened up quickly and followed the hand, to see Roxas standing next to him.

“Looks like Olette stored some leftover chili for us. Here,” he nudged the bowl into Axel’s hands, before taking a seat on the couch with his own portion of leftovers.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Axel murmured and made himself comfortable on the opposite end of the couch. He stirred the warm chili, then motioned to the pile of research material on the table. “Is that what you’re out here looking for? A... ‘White Thing’?”

Roxas glanced at the material in question, then shrugged as he dug into his own food. “Sort of. That’s what the rumors say is out here, at any rate.”

“Do _ you _ think there’s anything out there?”

“I’m just following the rumors. I don’t claim anything’s out there,” Roxas hummed.

Axel sighed, figuring he wouldn’t get much of a straight answer from Roxas in that regard, so he let the subject drop. Instead, he entertained himself by watching Roxas, examining the man he had last seen when they were both just children.

He still looked very much the same, in many ways. He still had that windswept blond hair and those mischievous blue eyes. His skin was still dotted with light freckles from days in the sun. The scar was new, of course. And the longer Axel looked, the more he noticed. None as extreme as the one along Roxas’ right side, of course. But little ones, dotting his skin much like his freckles did. A couple pale lines across the bridge of his nose. A mark near the corner of his mouth, like an old split lip. Little lines and marks crisscrossed along his fingers and hands.

Axel imagined there was a story behind most, if not all of them.

“So, you’re really a journalist now?” Roxas asked, snapping Axel out of his thoughts.

“Hmm?” He blinked a few times, caught off guard by the sudden question, then nodded. “Oh, yeah. I live and work in Baltimore. Though right now I’m traveling for work.”

Roxas made a noise that might have been impressed. “Livin’ in the big city huh? You like it there?”

“It’s nice,” Axel conceded. “Lots to do and see.. Not nearly as big as New York of course, but... yeah. It’s a nice city.”

“What made you choose journalism?” Roxas asked and set his now-empty bowl aside.

“I... like writing?” Axel answered, somewhat lamely. It wasn’t a question people asked much. “I... guess I like digging into interesting topics and finding the story in there, you know? I enjoy the research and the hunt for information. Then, getting to share that information and those stories with other people. Maybe... maybe make a difference now and then even.”

Roxas nodded, and a small smile played on his lips as he listened. “I’ll have to find your articles and give them a read sometime. You like it? The work?”

“I do,” Axel answered honestly. “It’s... good work. Do you like.... well, _ this?_” He asked and gestured vaguely towards the notes on the table, and the general space around them.

“I do,” Roxas nodded, echoing Axel’s own answer. “Pay could be better but I like my coworkers,” he chuckled.

“Pence mentioned your all met in a kind of... cryptozoology fan club?”

Roxas laughed a little at that. “Oh, yeah, I guess we did. Man, that was a long time ago.” 

“College, right? Who started the club?”

“Hayner, actually. He hand-made flyers to advertise it. Pence, Olette, and I were the only ones that showed up.” Roxas grinned. “But that turned out to be perfect. It was nice. I didn’t... really have any friends before I met them.” He trailed off a little and Axel watched him quietly, not wanting to interpret nor knowing what to say if he did.

But Roxas quickly pulled himself from his thoughts with a shake of his head. “Anyway, it’s getting late, and we both need some sleep.” He stood from the couch, and grabbed both his and Axel’s empty bowls. He took them into the kitchen and deposited them into the sink, before he returned to the living room. 

“Looks like there’s already a pillow and blanket down here for ya, but if you need more, there’s a little closet right by the stairs that looked like it had some extra.”

Axel nodded. “This should be fine, it’s not cold in here or anything.”

“Pence usually wakes up the earliest, and I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to feed you and make you coffee if you want. Or just tell him to buzz off if you wanna sleep in late. Other than that, if you need anything, feel free to come upstairs and start banging on doors. You’ll get _ someone’s _ attention eventually.”

“Gotcha,” Axel chuckled. “Thanks.”

Roxas nodded and made to leave Axel for the night. But as he passed by the couch, making for the stairs, Axel stopped him. “Hey, Roxas, wait.”

Ross paused and turned to look back at Axel. “What’s up?”

“I just....” he fidgeted with the edge of the throw blanket. “Look, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot today. Let’s maybe, talk more? Tomorrow? About anything. Not just my article. It’s just been a long time and... I’d probably regret not taking the time to properly catch up.”

Roxas was quiet for a moment, regarding Axel with a look he couldn’t quite read. Then, he smiled. “That sounds good. Let’s do that.” Then, with a small nod, “G’night, Axel.”

Axel murmured his own soft ‘good night’, and Roxas disappeared up the stairs. Axel watched the space he disappeared to quietly, before he heaved a heavy and tired sigh, and flopped down on the couch.

His body felt suddenly heavy, and the couch — though still a bit too short for his legs — was a dream compared to the backseat of the car. Hell, the whole cabin was a blessing compared to that.

Axel made himself comfortable and stared up at the tall ceiling above him. Shadows danced across the old wood, and from a few feet away, the low fire softly crackled and popped, in a way much more comforting than the sounds of the forest outside. Axel’s eyes grew heavy, and it wasn’t long until he drifted into an exhausted and deep sleep.

-

Sure enough, the next morning, Axel awoke to the welcome smell of coffee and the sounds of someone shuffling around in the kitchen, who he assumed to be Pence. He chose to snooze a little longer, not yet ready to really get up, as he was surprisingly comfortable curled up on the couch, lack of legroom being the only issue.

About half an hour later, Olette came padding down the stairs, and joined Pence in the kitchen. Axel allowed himself just five more minutes, before he oh-so-slowly peeled himself off the couch. The smell of food was too enticing.

With the throw blanket draped around his shoulders, Axel shuffled into the kitchen, where he was greeted by Pence and Olette.

“Mornin’, Axel” Olette said over her mug of coffee. She was still clad in her pjs and clearly still waking up.

Pence was dressed and tending to a hot skillet and growing pile of pancakes. They smelled amazing.

“Morning,” Axel yawned and dug around in the cabinets for a mug of his own. When he found one, he helped himself to his own cup of coffee.

“There’s cream and sugar if you want any,” Pence said and motioned to the fridge with his spatula.

“Nah, this is fine,” Axel shook his head and took a hearty gulp of the dark, warm liquid.

“So, Axel, what are your plans for the day?”

Axel looked up over his cup of coffee at Olette, who was watching him from where she’d perched herself on the kitchen counter. At his confused expression, she elaborated.

“I mean, I know you didn’t exactly plan to stay this long, so what do you plan to do next? Do you have enough to write you piece?”

“Actually...” Axel ran his thumb over the lip of his mug. “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to stay here a little longer? ‘Til the end of the day maybe. I’d like a few more details on your work, and... well it’d be nice to catch up with Roxas a bit.”

Olette nodded, understanding, and next to Axel Pence chuckled. “It’s no trouble for us, but you may be waiting awhile for Roxas.”

“Yeah, he likes to sleep in when he can. Especially if he’s been out late.”

“Right,” Axel nodded. “How late was he — were we — our last night?”

Olette hummed in thought. “Hmm, I assume Hayner went up to bed when you came in, so judging by his loud footsteps coming up the stairs I’d say it was a little after midnight. So, you can probably expect him around 11:00 or noon.”

“Ah. And... what time is it now?”

With his free hand, Pence pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. “A little after eight.”

“Ah.”

Olette gave him a sympathetic smile. “Yer more than welcome to shadow us today while we work. We can answer any questions you have and show a bit of what we do around here.”

“I wouldn’t mind shadowing you all a bit,” Axel said. Not in a million years would he have expected to hear himself say that. He’d spent most of his life with such an aversion to the paranormal, that it felt foreign for him to say he wanted to watch a bunch of cryptid hunters do their work.

But, he liked the team. He hadn’t known them for long, but they struck him as... genuine. Invested in their work, and not hungry for fame or notoriety. He still didn’t believe an ounce in what they hunted, but he liked _ them _ nonetheless.

And so here he was.

Olette smiled at him. “Sounds good. Pence, what are you doing today?”

“Comparing tracks,” Pence said as he turned around, each hand holding a plate of pancakes; one for Olette and one for Axel. “Hayner and Roxas both recently found more tracks in the woods, so I’m gonna be comparing photos of those to ones of local wildlife as well as supposed cryptids.”

Olette set her coffee down to take the offered plate. “I was gonna go check on the cameras we set up around the area. You told me cameras three and seven lost their feeds right? I’m gonna go take a look and see what the problem is, and maybe check on the working ones just make sure there’s nothing that might potentially disrupt them down the line. They’re spread out pretty far so I may be gone awhile.”

Axel pretended to weigh his options, though it was obvious which was more appealing. He did _ not _ want to go traipsing around in the woods for who knows how long, and frankly, Pence’s work seemed like it was a better lesson on what the team did, than checking cameras. Besides, it meant he’d be around when Roxas finally woke up.

“I think I’ll stick around here and shadow Pence for a bit, then maybe get a look at your notes in here, if that’s alright.”

Pence nodded as he stacked his own plate high with pancakes. “Sounds good to me!”

Breakfast passed rather peacefully. The three chatted as they ate, with Pence and Olette asking about Axel’s job and his life in general. They tried to wheedle out information about his childhood with Roxas, but Axel skillfully dodged those questions. 

Hayner came shuffling down the stairs just as they were finishing up, and Olette was retreating to go get dressed. Pence directed the tired man to the coffee and pancakes with instructions to help himself, and to put the rest of the food away for Roxas when he was done. Hayner simply mumbled a reply.

“I’ll be in the RV when you wanna come find me,” Pence said, before he headed out the door.

Axel retreated to the downstairs bathroom. He relieved himself, then gave his reflection a once-over in the mirror. Sleeping on the couch hadn’t exactly done him any favors in the looks department. His hair was a wild mess and he had bags under his eyes. Not to mention his wrinkled clothes, since he hadn’t exactly brought an extra set along with him. He just hoped he didn’t stink.

Figuring he should do what he could in terms of hygiene, Axel washed his face and rinsed his mouth out with water a few times. Lastly, he raked his fingers through his hair and pulled it all back, securing it into a ponytail with one of the hair ties and a couple bobby pins stashed in his pockets.

With one last glance in the mirror, Axel decided his appearance was as good as it was gonna get, and made his way out of the cabin.

Outside, everything was damp with a thin layer of dew. The air was misty, and a thick fog hung around the higher hills off in the distance. Bird song filled the air, ushering in a new day, and for a moment, Axel was tempted to call it beautiful.

Axel shook off his momentary reverie as he remembered he had work to do, and quickly picked his way over to the RV, where Pence had left the door open for him.

Upon entering, he found the other man sitting at the camper’s built-in table, with two laptops open in front of him. He looked up and greeted Axel as he walked over, and made room for the taller man to squeeze in and get a look.

“Okay,” Axel said as he sat down and peered over at the laptops. “So, explain a little more about what you’re doing here.”

“Alright, so tracking prints is one of the many things we do in order to identify and track a creature in the area. We’ve collected a whole database of found tracks here,” he pointed to the computer on the right, where a folder containing 100+ images was open. “Some of them are known natural wildlife in the area — deer, wolves, bears, and so on. They’re collected from local hunters or the National Parks database. Others are from cryptozoology sites and experts. And over here,” he pointed to the second laptop on the left, “we have photos of prints that Roxas and Hayner have recently found in the area.”

On the screen was an image of some unidentified print, freshly laid in the dirt. There were some red marks on the image, which Axel could only assume indicated unusual or key features on the print.

“Olette’s the tracking expert, and can usually identify animal prints, so I went ahead and had her look through them and discard any she could immediately pin as one known animal or another. That leaves us with the harder to ID prints,” Pence continued. “Our job now is to go through these and compare them to the photos we already have, and try to match them up.”

“You’re actually trying to match them to known animals?” Axel asked. “I mean... wouldn’t you only want to compare them to supposed ‘monster’ tracks to find a match?”

Pence just chuckled and shook his head. “Nope. I can’t speak for everyone in our profession, but our team actually tries to disprove first. A _ lot _ of sightings are fake, either purposeful lies to encourage tourism, or strange happenstance where people jump to ‘monsters’ before considering the more reasonable options.”

“But... you guys _ do _ believe in the things you’re hunting.”

“Of course. We just think it’s... more responsible to weed out the fake stuff first? We want to maintain a sense of integrity, I guess.” Pence then leaned in and lowered his voice, as though sharing some conspiratorial secret. “Between you and me, Hayner _ hates _ the folks in our business who fake stuff for views and fame. Can’t stand them. Roxas too.”

“Alright,” Axel chuckled a little. “Let’s uh, get to work then.”

Going through the photos one by one was not what Axel would call... stimulating. For a group of people who supposedly hunted strange and mysterious creatures, their work seemed... tedious at times. Not nearly as exciting as what was on the label. After going through just six of the photos Hayner and Roxas provided, and comparing each to the entire collection of known prints, Axel’s eyes were beginning to cross.

“How many more of these are there?” He asked as he sat back and blinked a few times to get his vision to focus.

“At least fifteen or so. Maybe twenty. And then the four special ones Roxas brought me,” Pence replied as he marked the latest image as most likely a fox print that had been smudged.

“Special ones?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, Roxas brought me a couple images of some strange prints he found a couple days ago.” As he spoke, Pence minimized the folder of photos on the left-side laptop, and opened up a second folder located on the desktop. Within it, were just four image files. “Said they looked weird, and wanted me ‘n Olette to check them out.”

He opened up the first of the images and Axel could see what Roxas meant.

In the photo was a small patch of dirt, with a large imprint pressed into the soil. It was definitely the imprint of... _ something_, though Axel would be hard pressed to call it an animal or any sort.

It was round in shape, with odd lines and tendrils branching out from the center. It looked almost like someone had pressed a plant, or more specifically its roots, into the dirt.

“Needless to say, Olette couldn’t identify them, and I’m coming up empty too.” Pence crosses his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat as he stared at the image in front of them. “That’s why Roxas was gone yesterday. He was out trying to find more of these. I’m... not sure it’s connected to what we’re looking for. But it’s got Roxas’ attention so he probably won’t let it go ‘til he has an answer.”

“Is that why you’re still here?” Axel asked, then at Pence’s questioning look, “I mean, Roxas said there’s nothing in those woods. I... assume that means you haven’t found anything of substance. Yet you have been here for... what, a month now?”

Pence just shrugged. “It could be. Roxas sorta goes by his own rules and we get pulled along for the ride,” he chuckled. “He may be hung up on figuring out what this is, but we also generally don’t leave until was can confidently say there’s nothing to be found. So, we’re doing everything we can to find something provable, or otherwise disprove previous sightings, if that makes sense.”

“So you’re stuck in limbo,”

“You could say that. We can’t leave ‘til we can confidently say one way or the other if something’s out there. And as of now, we can’t.”

“Schrödinger’s cryptid, huh?”

Pence laughed at that. “An apt way to put it, yes.” 

There was a bang from the cabin, as someone let the door swing shut roughly behind them. Olette had made her way into the woods well over an hour ago, and even Hayner had poked his head into the camper to check in. That left only one option.

“Someone’s up early,” Pence murmured as he checked the time on one of the laptops.

“I’ll go check on him,” Axel chuckled and rose from his seat, thankful for an excuse to leave Pence with the print identifying.

He hopped down the few short steps of the camper, and looked towards the cabin and sure enough, there was Roxas. The man stood on the front porch, nursing a cup of coffee and looking like he’d just rolled out of bed with the way he squinted and blinked blearily as he surveyed the campsite. He looked far less intimidating when sleepy and struggling to wake up than when he had a gun in Axel’s face.

Axel chuckled to himself and jogged up to the cabin to greet the man. Roxas peered down again him over his mug with tired eyes.

“Ah, so you _ are _ still here,” he mumbled, and Axel detected a small smirk in his voice, despite his tired state.

“What, thought I’d just pack up and leave in the morning? Even after saying I wanted to catch up?”

Roxas hummed. “Maybe. It was at least a possibility I considered.”

“Are you at least glad I didn’t?” Axel teased.

“Hmm, again, maybe,” Roxas replied, still clearly trying to hide his smirk behind his coffee cup.

Axel gasped in mock offense. “Only _ maybe?_ Roxas, I’m hurt!” That finally got a laugh out of Roxas, though it was more of an ugly snort.

“So,” Axel said. “What’s the plan for the day?”

Roxas hummed and took another sip of his coffee. “I was going to go back into the woods probably. Do a bit more tracking.”

Axel grimaced. “If I can be honest, I’m not too keen to go wandering into the forest with you.”

“Is it the forest part or the _ me _ part that’s stopping you?”

“The forest part,” Axel chuckled. “I’m not exactly dressed for a hike, after all.”

He motioned down to his clothes — a dark button down and a pair of his nicer jeans — and Roxas’ gaze followed, eyeing him up and down. He seemed to agree, however, with the small nod he gave.

“Fair enough,” he said and took another sip of coffee as he thought. “Hmm, well, there’s video and audio that needs to be scrubbed through. Things we’ve been recording in the woods. I can’t say it’s...exciting work, but it needs to be done.”

Axel thought he’d gotten off lucky with not having to go through the print photos, but it seemed he wouldn’t escape the tedious work. But if the other option was traipsing through the woods, he’d take it.

“Alright, lead the way.”

Roxas nodded and motioned for Axel to follow him back inside the cabin. He led him through the living room he’d slept in, and into a second common space where the team had set up a handful of different laptops and machines Axel couldn’t identity.

“We’ve been using this room as a recording space,” Roxas explained and he sat himself down in one of the rooms plush chairs, which was positioned in front of two laptops. “We’ve got cameras up in the woods, as well as audio recorders, and we stream them to these computers here. We can’t sit and monitor them all day, obviously, so we set the footage to record, and we can come check it later. Admittedly, none of us really like scrubbing through it all so... we sometimes put it off. Right now we’ve got about two days of stuff to go through.”

Axel groaned. “Two _ days _ worth?”

Roxas chuckled and motioned for Axel to take a seat. “Hey, you’re the one who didn’t wanna go on a hike. But don’t worry, the video can be played sped up, and we use a visualizer for the audio to look for any weird spikes or dips in sound so you don’t actually have to listen through the whole thing. Not unless you just really want that forest ambiance.”

Axel sighed, resigned to his fate, and plopped down in the seat next to Roxas.

“Here,” Roxas said and turned one of the laptops towards Axel. “You can scrub through the audio.” He pulled up what looked like a fairly basic music program, as well as a folder containing audio files, all dated and labeled by what part of the woods they were in. “Just open a file into the program and look for any... weirdness in the audio levels. The woods have fairly even ambient sound usually, so look for any strange spikes or dips in it.”

Axel nodded and opened the first file in the program. “What do I do if I go through one and don’t find anything?”

“There’s a folder already in there labeled ‘clear’. It’s where we drop files that don’t show anything weird. Put it in there.”

Axel nodded. “And... if I _ do _ find something weird?”

“Show it to me,” Roxas replied. “Let me have a listen and I can decide if it’s worth keepin’ or not. If it is, I can show you what to do with it form there. In the meantime, I’ll be going through video footage.”

“Olette said some of the cameras went out. She’s out checking on them right now.”

Roxas nodded as he pulled up the first video feed. “Yeah, and those are the streams I’d like to scrub through first, just to see if anything weird might have been caught on camera. It’s probably just an animal or technical difficulties, but you never know.”

Axel watched as Roxas started up the first video, set to 3x speed, before he turned back to his own computer to look through the audio file.

“So,” he said as he clumsily operated the music program. “Is this how things usually are? Slow and... kind of uneventful?”

“Sometimes,” Roxas replied. “Every search is different in its own way, but this isn’t exactly unique.”

“What have some of your other cases been like?”

Roxas sat back a little, but didn’t take his eyes off the screen as he responded. “We were caught in a sandstorm once. Summertime in New Mexico. It took us _ weeks _ to finally get all the sand out of the RV and our clothes,” he chuckled. “It even got into our loaf of bread somehow. We couldn’t bring ourselves to throw it out, so we ate gritty bread for the next week.”

Axel laughed. “Sounds rough. What else?”

“Hmm,” Roxas hummed in thought as he watched the feed in front of him. “There was the time we all got the flu at once. Hayner got it first, but we were all stuck in the camper together so within a week we _ all _ had it. We’re much more strict about getting flu shots now, and finding ways to quarantine any sick members until they’re not contagious anymore, even if it means stopping at a motel and renting a room for awhile.”

Axel huffed our another small laugh, though he couldn’t help but note the lack of... anything supernatural in the stories. They were merely anecdotes of things the team went through.

“And what about creatures you’re hunting?”

Roxas was quiet for a moment. “Do you believe in cryptids and supernatural things?”

“No,” Axel replied flatly.

“Then I’d be wasting my time telling you anything about them.” Roxas shrugged. “I could tell you plenty about the times I’ve been arrested, though.”

“As in, more than once?” Axel peeled his eyes away from his computer screen to look at Roxas. Roxas didn’t meet his gaze, still focused on the video feed he was watching, but a small smirk spread across his lips.

“Olette’s been arrested the least of all of us,” he said. “It’s not fair. She’s a cute girl so she can wheedle her way out of it more often than not.”

Axel snorted and went back to his own work, moving on to the second audio file.

They continued on like that for awhile, Roxas telling Axel stories of the team’s exploits over the years, as they both slowly crawled through the files.

Roxas still didn’t tell any stories involving the things they supposedly hunted, and on the one hand, Axel was grateful. He really didn’t care to hear about those things, considering he thought he were all fake and preposterous to begin with. On the other hand, he found Roxas... avoidant about discussing the very core of his business and it... bothered Axel. Was Roxas simply hiding the fact that everything they hunted was obviously fake? Or was there something else to it?

Still, he enjoyed Roxas’ company. It had been roughly eighteen years, and yet being with Roxas felt like falling right back into routine. Comfortable company.

“Hey,” Axel said as he opened up another audio file. Immediately he could see a strange spike in the levels, where all the other files had been relatively even. 

Roxas paused the video he was watching and looked over to Axel’s laptop, frowning as he scrutinized the file. “Play it. I wanna hear what that might be.”

Axel nodded and moved the cursor to right where the odd spike started, then hit play.

For a moment, all they heard were the usual ambient sounds of the forest. The wind in the trees, the chirping of birds, and the occasional cry of a distant animal. Rather suddenly, all of it faded. Even the wind seemed to die.

Then, all at once, there was a sudden and strange whining sound. It started low, then pitched up higher, louder. It was an odd groan, that seemed to echo throughout the woods, like the sound of bending and warping wood, or metal.

It lasted for roughly seven seconds, then faded. The forest was quiet again, as if holding its breath. When another loud groan didn’t come, the sounds of the woods slowly returned to life once again.

Axel paused the audio, and looked at Roxas. “Play it again,” the man said and, reluctantly, Axel complied. It was like nails on a chalkboard listening to it a second time, and Axel felt a shudder run down his spine. Roxas, however, seemed less affected, instead frowning at the laptop as he concentrated on the sound.

“So,” Axel sighed as the sound faded and he paused the file once again. “What do you think?”

Roxas was silent for a beat, before he leaned back in his chair. “Could be a tree falling,” he said, and it sounded like a lie. “But open a note document and mark the file and time stamp of the sound,” then move both into a new file called ‘evidence.’”

Axel followed his instructions, careful to mark and sort everything properly so the team could find it later. Then, without question, he moved on to the next one.

It was quiet for a minute, both men working through their respective assignments, before Axel finally broke the silence. 

“What got you into this?”

Roxas snorted. “What, _ really? _ I mean, isn’t it obvious?”

Was it? Axel wasn’t sure, yet felt compelled to ask. “Tell me anyway?”

“I mean, you know I’ve always been into this stuff. That never changed.”

And yes, Axel remembered. He recalled hot summers with Roxas, playing amateur detective and monster hunter. Exploring the abandoned buildings of Roxas’ hometown and wandering through the dense woods where Roxas somehow never seemed to lose his way.

“And,” Roxas said softly. “There was that one summer...”

Axel tensed immediately.

“I mean, with what happened and all-“

“Nothing happened,” Axel said sharply, cutting the other man off.

Roxas paused the video then, and shot Axel a look filled with shock and incredulity. “I’m sorry, what? What do you mean-“

“Nothing happened that summer. I mean... nothing like _ this._” Axel waved his arm to indicate Roxas’ work. “There was... there was a fire. A bad one, I’ll admit, but that was _ it_.”

“That was not _ it_, Axel. I can accept you not believing in everything else I do, but you can deny what happened-“

“Nothing _ happened!_” Axel stood up quickly, nearly knocking the laptop in front of him over. “Nothing... nothing that can’t be explained. Nothing that wasn’t just the result of two dumb kids messing around.”

“_Bullshit!_” Roxas stood up as well, anger written across his face. “I can’t… _ believe _ you can sit there and deny what we saw. What happened that summer wasn’t natural, Axel! You know it! Run away from it all you want, but it happened!”

“_Run away? _ What, as opposed to you? Who runs toward it and seeks out bullshit stories about Bigfoot and the mothman or whatever fanciful nonsense comes your way? Sorry that I chose instead to become a productive member of society!”

“You chose to become a coward! A coward who runs and hides from what he saw!” Roxas fumed. “Axel I’m _ sorry _ for what happened that summer. I am. But we both know what we saw-“

“_Stop_.” Axel hissed. “Just stop. I don’t want to talk about that summer or what happened or your.. _ fantasies _ anymore.”

A beat of silence stretched between them before Roxas hissed, “Fine.”

“Fine!” Axel echoed, and before anything more could be said on the matter, he gathered himself and stormed out of the room, and out of the cabin entirely.

_ Running away_.

The words echoed bitterly in Axel’s mind. He didn’t want to think he was running away. He _ wanted _ to think he was being sensible. 

Roxas was... well. Was Roxas his friend? After eighteen years that was hard to say. But, a part of Axel still cared about the man in some capacity. Still saw parts of the boy Axel used to know so many years ago. And the idea of Roxas running headlong into... God-knows-what scared him.

Axel slammed the cabin door behind him and dragged his hands down his face with a loud groan. As he stood there, contemplating what to do next, there came an odd sound. It took Axel a moment to realize it sounded vaguely like a voice. Distant and weak, just like what he’d heard the night before. For one terrifying moment, he thought it might be Olette, alone in the woods somewhere and calling for help. 

But just as he thought that, he looked around and there she was, emerging from the dense trees and looking perfectly fine. She stopped and gave him an odd look when she caught him staring. “Everything ok, Axel?”

Axel breathed in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was just tired and stressed, that was all. “Yeah,” he replied. “Yeah uh... glad you’re back, lemme shadow you for a bit.” He needed a distraction and to be around someone other than Roxas.

Olette looked a bit startled by his request, but agreed anyway. “Alright, if ya want.”

Axel nodded eagerly and followed the woman off to her next task. If she wondered about his haggard state, she didn’t ask.

In the distance, Axel thought he heard the echoing cry once more. 

He ignored it.


	3. Wood and Bones

Axel stayed the night again.

He didn’t mean to, of course. His plan since that morning had been to eventually go back to Durbin. And after his spat with Roxas, he’d be lying if he didn’t think about packing up right then and there and getting the hell out.

And yet, somewhere along the way... he didn’t.

After storming out of the cabin, Axel tailed after Olette, helping her around the camp as he tried to cool off a bit. She could see he was agitated, and did her best to keep their conversation light, and inconsequential. Axel appreciated that.

He had been helping her clear out the fire pit when he saw Roxas leave the cabin. With a cigarette clenched between his lips, he stormed over to the RV, yelled something inside to Pence, then marched off into the woods. Axel watched him go with a strange mix of frustration and worry.

He thought about leaving then, but doing so without even saying goodbye to Roxas, despite their fight, didn’t sit right with him. So, he decided to wait, with the hope that Roxas would return earlier that night than the one previous.

After helping Olette a little longer, she eventually dragged him back inside for lunch, where his new task was to make sandwiches for everyone. He also had to deliver said sandwiches to the remaining two crew members present. Pence was grateful of course, and even Hayner graced him with a begrudging ‘thank you.’ Olette assured him Roxas probably ate before he left, or else took something with him.

After lunch, Olette decided she should finish going through the video and audio feeds, which Roxas and Axel had left abandoned after their little spat. Axel wasn’t exactly keen on returning to that particular task, so he excused himself to go work on his own article, which he had been neglecting to do most of his time with the team.

But writing didn’t come easy. Axel found himself simply staring at his tablet while deep in thought, pondering over the events of the past twenty-four hours. He felt like he’d been hit with a truck of new information and yet... how much was actually applicable to his work? He couldn’t write about his history with Roxas after all. And, when he got right down to it, he still knew very little about what the team was searching for and what their ultimate goal was.

Partially because they all seemed a bit tight lipped on the subject, but also because Axel had failed to dig into it. Partially, he’d been distracted. Seeing Roxas again was like being emotionally hit with a semi, and Axel was in many ways still reeling. And perhaps, to an extent, a part of Axel didn’t  _ want _ to look into it. The others danced around the subject of their work and their goal and Axel had to admit, he let them. 

Like repairing an old wall, eaten by time, and bugs, and mold. Sure it might be better if you make the repairs, but then you have to actually remove the rotten boards and confront what’s underneath. Much easier to simply wallpaper over it. Axel has gotten good at plastering over thoughts and memories he didn’t like. And Axel had a good mind to wallpaper over all of this and wash his hands of it too. He’d done it for so many years, after all. Why stop now?

But things still crawled and scratched underneath, clawing for his attention the way so many other things in his life did. The way things flitted and floated into his vision, despite his attempts to ignore it. And Axel was good at ignoring, but there was only so much he could take.

He found his gaze travel to the pile of notes and books and articles scattered across the coffee table. His eyes drawn to the illustrations of oversized wolves and other forest dwelling creatures.

Slowly, Axel set his tablet down and reached for one of the books - a cryptozoology one titled  _ Monsters of West Virginia. _ The page was open to the entry on White Things, or Devil Dogs as some called them. He read about their appearance, being often described as giant wolf like creatures which, yeah he could have figured out based on the name devil dog. But he was surprised to learn they had also been described as being bear or badger-like, and as having ‘too many legs’. Whatever that meant.

He flipped through the book a bit, reading up on some of the other supposed monsters roaming the area. The mothman, the flat woods monster, even something called the Wampus cat. He wasn’t entirely sure if that last one was meant to be menacing or not.

Axel set the book down and picked up the next bit of research, a stack of papers that looked to be photocopies of an old article and read through it. He found himself engrossed in the work, flipping from article, to photo set, to handwritten notes from the team.

He found their notes especially interesting, detailing their hypotheses on what they might be tracking. They hadn’t, of course, had any definitive sign of devil dogs in the area, with the first and foremost issue being that white things were, well,  _ white _ , and would certainly stand out in the greenery of the summertime woods.

Their speculations ranged from as mundane as a rabid animal, to trying to actually postulate what unknown creature might be lurking in the forest.

“Did you get permission to read that stuff?”

Axel yelped and dropped the notebook he had been flipping through. He clutched his chest and spun around to see Hayner eyeing him from the entryway. Axel hadn’t even heard him come in.

“Sorry, no I... I figured it’d be ok, since it was left out like this,” he replied after taking a deep breath to steady himself.

Hayner just shrugged. “Yeah well, you’re probably right. Anyway, I take it yer staying another night?”

Axel blinked, and looked out the window beyond Hayner. Sure enough, it was nearly dark outside, the only light being the faintest red glow in the distance where the sun had long since set. When had that happened? Axel cursed under his breath. “Yeah, I... guess I am, huh? Sorry.”

Again, Hayner just shrugged. “Boss ‘n everyone else don’t seem to mind, so it’s fine. Yer not in the way, at least. I’m guessin’ you didn’t bring any spare clothes though, huh?”

Axel looked down at his rumpled shirt and shook his head. “Not really, no. I hadn’t planned to stay out here for even one night, much less two.”

“Mm-hmm,” Hayner nodded, arms folded over his chest. “Figured. Look, I’ma be honest, after three days of wearing the same thing, yer gonna be smelling a bit ripe. Now, it’s my turn to do laundry this week. I can throw yer stuff in with ours. Not sure we really have anything that’ll fit someone yer...  _ size _ , but it shouldn’t take that long. And you can kill some o’ the time by takin’ a shower.”

Axel stared at Hayner, bewildered. “I, uh, thank you,” he finally stammered out.

“Eh, don’t thank me,” Hayner said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Yer Roxas’ friend. I’m just tryin to do right by him, ‘s all.”

“Right, well, thank you anyway.”

Hayner nodded, then jerked his head in the direction of the stairs. “Shower’s this way.”

Axel quickly got up and followed that man up the stairs, and to a bathroom located halfway down the upper hallway.

“Just leave yer clothes in a pile outside the door. I’ll come pick ‘em up in a minute. And I’ll try to find somethin’ you can wear in the meantime.” With that, Hayner wandered off, most likely to gather the crew’s laundry.

Not wanting to keep the other man waiting, Axel quickly slipped into the bathroom and stripped of his two-day-old clothes. It was a bit embarrassing to have a stranger do his laundry. But Hayner was right, it was starting to get a bit ripe, and the last thing Axel wanted was to stink and be stuck in dirty clothes. And, he figured, if Olette was fine with letting a bunch of men handle her laundry, Axel could handle it as well.

Axel dropped the pile of clothes outside the bathroom door, then quickly retreated to the shower. The taps rattled a bit as he turned the water on, and the spray of initial cold water sent Axel reeling backwards. But it warmed up soon enough, and Axel let out a long sigh as he rinsed away the grime of the past two days, along with some of the tension he’d been carrying in his shoulders. He closed his eyes and simply stood there for a minute, enjoying the warmth. 

Eventually, he figured he should get to the actual  _ cleaning _ part, and looked around for soap. He didn’t dare use the hair care products left along the tub’s rim. He knew how sacred hair products were and didn’t want to take someone else’s, but he also didn’t trust them to be right for his own finicky mane.

He did use some of the body wash left sitting next to them, however. He had been offered the shower after all, so he assumed a little usage of said soap was okay. Still, he did his best not to use too much.

He felt like a new man when he finally turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He and Hayner may not have started out on the best foot, but he was eternally grateful for the man for goading him into showering and washing his clothes. Axel would have to forego deodorant for a day, and his hair was destined to be a wild mess without his usual products, but those were nothing when weighed against being  _ clean _ .

Slowly, Axel cracked the door to the bathroom. The air outside in the hall was much cooler than the steamy bathroom, and Axel’s skin immediately prickled with goosebumps. True to his word though, Hayner had taken Axel’s dirty laundry, and left some clean clothes in its place. Axel quickly grabbed said clothes, and retreated back into the bathroom.

As it turned out, Hayner had brought him what Axel could only assume was the longest tank top the man could find, along with a pair of loose basketball shorts. The shorts, though baggy, fit fine. The top however just barely covered his stomach, and Axel found himself constantly tugging at the thing. He finally just accepted that his midriff would be showing for the evening, and made his way back out into the hall, and down the stairs to the living room.

As he descended the stairs, he was greeted by the warm smell of food wafting in from the kitchen, and his stomach reminded him he’d gotten quite hungry since lunch.

He ambled into the kitchen where Pence was shuffling about, clearly in the middle of fixing dinner. “Smells good,” he said, mildly startling the other man.

Pence looked over his shoulder as he collected the bag of frozen vegetables from where he’d dropped it on the floor. “Oh! Well, not to brag but it is my specialty.”

“Yeah? And what’s your specialty?”

“Frozen pizza and microwave vegetables,” Pence replied simply and tossed the bag of veggies into said microwave.

“And here I thought that was  _ my _ specialty!” Axel said with a laugh.

“Pence and I are the only reasons Hayner and Roxas get any vegetables into their system at all.”

Axel turned to see Olette emerge from the other common room, obviously drawn to the smell of food like Axel had been. “Hayner still eats like a teenage boy and I’m not thoroughly convinced Roxas isn’t part raccoon either, with the way he scavenges.”

“Then you’re doing god’s work,” Axel chuckled. “How goes scrubbing through those video and audio feeds?”

Olette breathed out a heavy sigh. “Tedious. As always.” She shuffled further into the kitchen, passing Axel and Pence to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. “I saw you and Boss found something weird in the audio. I listened to it, but can’t say for sure what it is. Sounds a bit like a falling tree but... not quite.” She shrugged. “I ain’t found anything weird beyond that though.”

“What about the busted feeds? You figure out what happened to those?” Pence asked from where he was stooped over, checking on the pizza through the oven’s small, and cloudy window.

“One was knocked down.” Olette pulled herself up to sit on the counter. “Prolly and animal or something. Squirrel or bird most likely. The other one was covered in moss and some vines. Completely grown over,” she said with a frown. 

“How long were the cameras out there?” Axel asked.

Pence stood back up and began to pull some plates from the cupboards. “‘Bout a month, give or take.”

Axel frowned. “That seems kinda fast for something to get completely grown over.”

“It is,” Olette said, then shrugged. “Not much to be done about it right now, though. That camera’s done for, unfortunately. Silver lining is it was the oldest of the bunch and prolly needed to be replaced soon anyhow.”

A door somewhere off in the cabin banged shut, and the three looked up just as Hayner joined them in the kitchen. He looked Axel up and down, then nodded. “Ah, good they fit. Sort of.”

Axel looked down at the spare clothes he’d been loaned, and tugged at the hem of the tank top once again. “Oh, yeah. Thanks again.”

“No worries. Laundry should be done within the hour, so you should have yer clothes back soon. Though, yer welcome to sleep in that.” He then turned to Pence and Olette. “Any word from Boss?”

“Nope,” Pence shook his head. “Looks like another late night for him.”

“Is that really okay?” Axel asked quietly, and found all three pairs of eyes turned on him. “I-I just mean... it could be dangerous out there at night. And if you  _ really _ think some kind of monster is out there...”

“We’re all used to it,” Olette said, sounding matter of fact yet still sympathetic to his worry. “We’ve all gone on late night, lone expeditions, not just Roxas.”

“Though he does it the most,” Hayner muttered next to him, folding his arms over his chest.

“Point is, we all know how to navigate the woods safely. And Roxas isn’t dumb; if he runs it to trouble he’ll call for backup,” Pence said as he turned off the oven and pulled the pizza from the oven.

“Cell service is terrible out here,” Axel murmured softly, which earned a snort from Hayner.

“We have walkie-talkies, dude. You think we’d put all our faith in cell phones out here?”

“We wish he wouldn’t go off on his own as much either,” Olette added. “But there’s no real stopping him. And like Pence said, Boss knows what he’s doing. Now,” she hopped off the counter and grabbed herself a plate. “I’m  _ starving _ , can we eat already?”

The three ended up eating together in the living room, each perched in one of the cabin’s plush chairs or couch. They were good company, laughing and joking as they ate. Even Hayner warmed up to Axel when he learned he was caught up on all the latest tv shows. Apparently the other three never watched tv, or even streamed shows. A tragedy, according to Hayner.

Axel could tell they were trying to keep his mind occupied, and he was grateful for it, though it never fully erased the glaring empty spot where Roxas should be. And despite their reassurances, they all stayed up a little later as well, seeming reluctant to go to bed. Had they done that the night before as well, waiting up late before eventually relegating watch duty to Hayner? Axel suspected so.

As he looked around, Axel began to really take in his companions. Roxas’ scars had been glaringly obvious — hard to be when the largest of them crept up to his jawline. But as Axel observed the others, he realized none of them were unscathed either. With his shoes kicked off, Axel could see a nasty scar circling Pence’s ankle, barely missing his Achilles’ tendon. Hayner stretched at one pint, and Axel caught sight of a jagged scar along his side where his shirt rode up. Even Olette had scars that, well... Axel could only describe as looking like old bite marks long her upper left arm.

For a moment, Axel entertained the idea that all the scars were from things outside their work. That it was just coincidental that they all had them. And when the moment passed, Axel knew that idea was full of shit.

Finally, around 11:00pm, the three reluctantly shuffled off to bed, after multiple assurances from Axel that he’d keep an eye out for Roxas. He was sleeping in the living room anyway, he might as well.

And Roxas did return, eventually. 

Axel had dozed, but never properly fell asleep, so he was immediately roused when he heard the heavy front door creek open. Roxas’s heavy footsteps followed behind, and he listened as the other man kicked his boots off by the door.

Axel had half a mind to jump up and berate Roxas for coming back so late. Or maybe to ask if he was okay. Or maybe apologize for the fight earlier. Or maybe even just feed him some leftovers.

He did none of those things. Instead, he simply lay there, eyes closed as he listened to Roxas slowly shuffle around.

He wandered into the living room and Axel heard him pause, listening as Roxas stood there for a minute. He kept his eyes closed and feigned sleep, and after a few long seconds, Roxas sighed, and Axel heard him shuffle off towards the stairs.

Just as the man reached the bottom stair, Axel heard it. A long, pained scream off in the distance. Or was it a howl? It reminded Axel of the whining, groaning sound from the audio file.

It was louder now. Louder than the last two times he’d heard it, and Axel was almost sure he could make out words. His legs buzzed and he felt antsy all at once, tempted to jump up and run right out the door towards the sound.

Why?

He then realized Roxas had stopped at the bottom step, frozen and unmoving. Had he heard it too? He must have. 

Had he heard it before?

Slowly, the sound died away, fading back into the night to be lost among the cicadas and the rustling of wind in the trees.

Roxas remained at the bottom step a minute longer, quietly waiting. When it seemed the sound — whatever it was — was gone, he resumed his march up the stairs, and Axel was again left alone in the quiet of the living room. 

-

Sleep didn’t come easy, after that.

Axel lay awake for another hour or so, restless and jumpy. And when he did finally fall asleep, his dreams were full of things that howled and crawled through the forest. Things that crept like moss and smelled of decay and rotten leaves, and creaked like old wood trying to grow lungs.

When daybreak finally came, it relieved him of his clawing dreams, but Axel was left equal parts exhausted and oddly restless. He did his best to sleep in, unmoving when he heard Pence and Olette make their way down for coffee and breakfast. They chatted softly in the kitchen, mindful of him, then quietly crept out of the cabin when they were done.

Hayner was a little less quiet, but still seemed mindful of the ‘sleeping’ Axel.

He stayed there until just before noon, not really sleeping, just... lying there. Letting the minutes tick by.

When Axel finally roused himself and sat up, he found that Hayner had left his now-clean clothes piled on the chair next to him. Not folded, but clean, which was enough for Axel.

He got up, ate some of the breakfast leftovers Pence had kindly left for him, got dressed and did his best to make himself presentable to the world. 

After all, he figured it was about time he said goodbye to his temporary companions. He’d intruded on them long enough and, frankly, he felt as though if he didn’t leave now, he’d be stepping into something he’d been long since avoiding. Like standing on the precipice of something he couldn’t reverse once started, and he needed to leave before that happened. Needed to get out of there before the safety of the bubble he’d crafted for himself over the past eighteen years was well and truly popped.

Axel gathered his things; tablet, camera, phone — which he noticed someone had graciously plugged in overnight with a spare charger. He pulled on his shoes, and with one glance towards the stairs, slipped out the door.

Outside, Hayner and Olette were seated at the picnic table discussing something — work most likely. Hayner noticed him first, then Olette who followed his line of site to Axel. The woman smiled and stood up from the table to greet him.

“Mornin’ Axel!”

Axel chuckled and ducked his head. “More like afternoon.”

“Close enough,” she shrugged. “So, what’re your plans for the day?”

“Well... I was actually thinking about heading back to town.”

Olette’s smile faded a little, and even Hayner looked a bit surprised. “Yer leavin?”

“You don’t  _ have _ to go just yet, ya know,” Olette said. “I mean, we understand if you wanna get out of here, but you can hang around a it longer.”

“At least ‘til Boss gets up,” Hayner added.

Axel nodded a little and looked away. “Yeah, I know. And thank you, really. You’ve all been really nice, and accommodating and... I guess I don’t want to impose on you anymore.” He held up his hand as Olette was about to protest. “And I  _ do _ have to get back to write that article, after all.”

“Yer leaving right now, then?” Olette asked softly, the question if Axel would stay to say his goodbyes to Roxas left unspoken but hanging in the air nonetheless.

Axel nodded again. “I think so. I think... it would be for the best. Thanks again for your hospitality. I’m gonna say bye to Pence and then... well, give Roxas my regards when he wakes up, yeah?”

Hayner and Olette shared a look, but reluctantly agreed, and let him go. Axel meandered over to the RV, where he assumed Pence was once again holed up. He was right, as he found the man pouring over something on his laptop. Axel didn’t ask what. Instead, he gave the man the same explanation he’d just given the other two, and Pence seemed just as torn between saying goodbye and insisting Axel stay longer.

He  _ did _ accept Pence’s phone number and email, however. Promising he’d be in touch once the article was written or if he had any more questions.

With his goodbyes said — all but one of course — Axel trudged over to his little car and opened the passenger door, piling his few possessions into the empty seat. Axel stood back up, and was ready to close the door when he heard it again.

The distant cry of something deep in the woods. Or, perhaps not so deep. It sounded louder now. Closer. And... could he make out the words? It almost sounded like someone calling for help. Garbled and distorted by distance as it was, he was sure—

“Leavin’, are you?”

Axel jumped, startled from his thoughts, and spun around to see Roxas standing there, unlit cigarette dangling from his lips as he peered back up at Axel. He hadn’t even heard the man approach. How long had Axel been zoning out?

“O-oh uh, yeah,” he stammered. “Figured I should... go ahead and get outta your hair, you know?”

Roxas folded his arms over his chest and looked Axel up and down, seemingly unimpressed. “Without sayin’ goodbye?”

Damn.

Axel chuckled nervously and scratched at the back of his neck, averting his eyes from Roxas’ own scrutinizing gaze. “Yeah, I... sorry. I guess that wasn’t my greatest move.”

“No,” Roxas said, humming in thought. “But I guess I get it.”

An awkward silence fell between them, before Axel took a deep breath. “Roxas, look, about yesterday. I’m sorry-“

“It’s fine,” Roxas cut him off. “It’s... just forget it, yeah?” Axel watched as the other man’s expression softened a bit. “It was good seeing you again, Axel. Make sure ya say real flattering things about me in that article of yours.”

Axel caught the other man’s little smirk, and couldn’t help laughing himself. “I will, don’t you worry. In fact, I-“

He stopped.

There it was, the same cry that had plagued him for the last few days. Only now,  _ now _ it sounded much louder, closer. Desperation tinged the edges of the whine and, yes, yes there it was-

“Someone’s calling for help,” Axel said, shutting the car door and looking towards the woods.

Roxas frowned. “What?”

“Someone’s out there. You,” he looked back at Roxas, then at the tree line again. He took a step forward. “You can hear them, can’t you?”

“No, Axel. No one’s out there.” Stern, voice tinged with a tenseness, though Axel barely heard him at all. No, he heard the voice, the cry of pain and anguish. The cry for help that Roxas was  _ ignoring! _

“Yes they are!” Axel said, taking another step, then another.

“Axel-“

“I can  _ hear _ them! I-!”

And with that he ran. He barely heard the call of his name as he bolted into the forest, in amongst the tall, tall trees he’d so carefully avoided before. Branches scratched at him, and his ill-equipped shoes sunk into loamy soil and tripped over rocks in his path.

His lungs burned and his muscles began to scream, but still he ran. Through brush, and branch, and creek, all towards the cry in the forest that called him. Beckoned him.  _ Needed _ him.

Oh god, someone was out here and they needed help! Needed him! How long had they been out here? And oh god, Axel had  _ ignored _ them!

But not now. Now he’d get to them. He’d help them! He just had to keep running, had to keep moving, had to find them.

And he was almost there! He was getting so close, surely they were just around the corner, through the next bush, or behind the next tree! He was almost there! Almost-

All at once, the noise stopped, and with it so did Axel. He came to a clumsy halt in a small clearing, sweating and gasping for breath, his lungs wheezing and  _ burning _ for air. He felt so tired.

And it was so quiet.    
  


Where was he? What had he even been chasing? Axel blinked, as if waking from a dream, and looked around. The trees loomed tall and imposing around the small patch of grass he stood in, so densely packed and so high he couldn’t see the hills beyond them. He couldn’t see where he was.

And what’s more, it was getting dark. The window of sky above him was awash in fiery reds and yellows. How was that possible? Last thing he knew, it had only been about noon. He couldn’t have have been running that long! He  _ couldn’t _ .

Axel felt a pit open in his stomach, and he suddenly felt very cold and very afraid. He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know where he was, or how to get back, and it was getting dark-!

There was a rustle behind him.

Axel spun around, but saw nothing there. Just trees and more trees, and even more beyond that. And yet... something was wrong with them.

Axel peered harder into the dense brush, and took a slow step forward.

The trees stepped forward as well.

A figure Axel could only describe as a hulking mass of twisted bark and branches and moss shifted between the trees it so easily blended into. It stepped forward with a leg of twisted roots and matted hair, as though some poor creature had long since been trapped within the snarling vines of the limb. It had no real foot to speak up, just a stump where the tendrils and vines tapered off.

Another step, and Axel heard the sickening sounds of creaking wood, whining and protesting under the weight and strain of simply  _ being _ . Axel fell backward, shaken by the weight of the step and unable to support himself on his exhausted limbs.

Another great, lumbering step and the creature’s head came into view. To call it a wolf would be generous, but it was the closest thing Axel had. It had no eyes, just a strange and twisted skull of wood and moss, which sloughed off in a way akin to rotten skin sloughing off muscle and bone. Mushrooms grew where an eye should have been, and tangled vines ran like tendons down its too-long neck.

It walked on four legs — limbs really — and stood a good seven feet tall at the top of its head. It dwarfed Axel even when standing. Crouched on the forest floor as he was, it absolutely towered over him.

Axel tried to scramble backwards, to get up and run, but his limbs were so exhausted all they could do was flail in the dirt and old leaves beneath him. And still the creature crept closer, creaking and whining in a gut-churning way with each heavy footfall.

As it drew ever closer, it opened its mouth and its teeth — if they could even be called that — were a sickening maw of thorns and splintered sticks. It’s breath rolled over Axel and it smelled of rot. Of musty, decaying leaves, rotten logs, and stagnant ponds.

The sound was worse.

The screeching and groaning of wood filled the air, sound all at once like a wounded animal’s cry and-

Like a person crying for help.

Only it taunted him now, laughing an inhuman laugh at this pathetic creature it has lured into its domain. 

Axel found himself trapped between the creature’s massive front legs, as it looked over him like prey. His breath came in quick, panicked gasps, and he found himself whimpering a trail of sad mantra of, “No, no, no, no,  _ no _ .”

The beast paid them no mind, and opened its jaws wider, with the sickening sound of cracking and snapping wood. The horrid groaning only grew louder as it leaned in, maw stretched wide to devour Axel.

He was going to die here, Axel realized. He wanted to sob, but panic and fear had taken even that from him. He was going to die in these woods, and no one would know. No one would find him. Would they even mourn him? Or would his death be a small blip on the radar, before Axel was lost to time and memory?

Would the creature devour him whole? Or would Axel’s bones be left behind, to become one with the dense forest floor?

There was a bang, and the creature’s head was whipped to the side as and explosion of bark flew from its skull and rained down on top of Axel in a shower of splinters.

“ _ Axel _ _!_”

Axel felt his heart leap into his throat and he almost burst into tears as Roxas came bounding into the clearing, shotgun raised as he took aim and fired a second round at the beast. He hit its neck and sent another burst of splintered wood in all directions.

It reared back and howled — in pain or anger Axel didn’t know or care. All that mattered was that it freed him to move, and he took the chance to roll away and scramble to his feet.

He wanted to run to Roxas, but didn’t get the chance. The beast stepped between them, its hulking form taking up most of the small clearing, and easily separating the two men.

Roxas, with his gun still raised and aimed at the beast, called to him, “Are you okay, Axel?”

“Am I-? Am I  _ okay?! _ Do I  _ look _ okay?!” He yelled, then took a shaky step back as the beast swiveled its head between them, it’s teeth making that horrid cracking noise instead of a snarl. It seemed unsure which target to lunge at first.

From his side of the creature, he could have sworn he heard Roxas breath out a small laugh. “Well, ya ain’t bleedin’ and you got enough energy to sass me, so I say yer doing fine! Here, catch!”

“What-?” He barely got the question out, when a crowbar of all things came sailing his way. The screech Axel let out was far from dignified, and he jumped to the side to avoid being beaned right in the head with the thing, instead letting it land in the dirt with a dull thud. “What the  _ hell?! _ Don’t go throwing shit like that at me!”

“I  _ said _ catch!” Roxas yelled back with a roll of his eyes.

Axel grumbled, but in truth, he was thankful to have a weapon. Though, he’d much prefer a gun like Roxas at the moment.

He peeled his eyes away from the beast for a moment, to see where the crowbar had landed, finding it a few feet to his right. Not far, but certainly farther than he would have liked. He inched towards it, taking advantage of the beast’s attention being on Roxas.

Slowly, oh so slowly and with his eyes darting between the monster and his weapon, Axel moved towards the crowbar. When he was mere inches away, Axel dove and snatched up the makeshift weapon with a triumphant ‘ha!’

That was a mistake.

The beast swung its heavy head towards him, snarling and whining with the movement. It didn’t have eyes, but Axel could tell its attention was locked fully on him, and he had to leap backwards, swinging the crowbar wildly as it’s splintered jaws snapped.

Its movements were slow and heavy, but its sheer size still made it fast compared to the two much smaller men. 

Axel backed up further, stumbling to get out of the way of the snapping, sharp jaws as they moved in on him. From behind, Roxas fired at the beast, two loud shots ringing out in succession as more brittle wood from the beast broke and splintered off.

When Axel’s back hit a tree, he had a bright idea to retreat into the foliage. He wouldn’t leave Roxas, of course, but with the beast’s size he figured it would have a harder time navigating the dense trees. And the monster did indeed stop. For a moment.

Axel took the chance to begin circling the clearing just behind the perimeter of the trees, aiming to regroup with Roxas. The creature’s great head swiveled to follow him, and as it did so, it began to make a horrid retching noise. Its jaws cracked open wider, and with a final heave of its knotted stomach, a mass of half rotten and twisting vines spilled from its mouth. Still connected somewhere deep within the beast through its maw, the ends of the vines writhed in their mass, before they began to slither and snake their way across the leaf-covered ground in Axel’s direction.

They caught up with him and coiled around his ankle, easily overturning him. Axel barely had time to yelp, before he hit the forest floor and had the wind sufficiently knocked from him lungs. He wasn’t given a chance to recover, however, as the vines quickly began to retract back into the creature’s open mouth, dragging him across the ground and towards that horrible splintered maw.

“Sh-shit, shit, shit!” He hissed and began trying to rip and tear at the vines to free himself. He even used the tapered end of the crowbar — which he’d somehow managed to keep hold of — to desperately hack at them, with little success.

Axel could barely see Roxas beyond the beast’s hulking form; just the man’s head and a bit of his upper body. And he watched in awe as Roxas took a couple steps back, then got a running head start and sprinted directly towards the creature.

He used its tail — a mass of tangled vines that dragged along the ground — as a ramp and ran up the monster’s back. He slipped on some of the moss covering its spine, but managed to stay atop it, opting instead to crouch low so as not to lose his balance.

With his new vantage point, Roxas took aim, and fired at the beast’s head. The shot hit the side of its face, further wrecking the spot he’d already hit once, and Axel had to protect his face as the spread shot kicked up bark and dirt and debris. The sound of creaking and splintering wood filled the air as Roxas shot again and the beast howled. Seeming to forget about Axel, the vines around his ankle loosened, and he was able to once again scramble away.

Enraged, the monster gave a violent shake, and Roxas was flung from its back. He hit the ground hard, body rolling and skidding along the leaf-covered ground, and Axel heard himself scream. With its attention on Roxas, the beast turned to advance on the fallen man, while Axel clawed and scraped at the ground to pull himself to his feet. Roxas was dazed, and tried to lift himself, but the beast was closing in fast.

Crowbar in hand, Axel bolted forward. He didn’t even think as he avoided a swipe of the huge tail, and his arms moved on their own free will as he raised his makeshift weapon and struck the side of the monster’s head when he got close.

The creature howled that sickening, warped sound again, and Axel might have been bitten clean in half, if a hand hadn’t grabbed his shirt and yanked him down onto the ground. He landed with a hard thud next to Roxas just as the beast’s massive jaws closed on the empty space he’d been mere seconds before.

Both men scrambled backwards until they hit a tree behind them. The beast shook its massive head, then stalked towards them, and Axel heard Roxas curse next to him as the man began to fumble the reload his gun.

Closer and closer the monster stalked, until its jaws loomed just a foot away. It opened those thorny jaws and wailed, injured and angry and coming in for the kill. 

Scared as he was, Axel screamed right back, snarling and gnashing his teeth until his own throat felt raw. He was frightened, yes.  _ God _ was he frightened. But he’d been frightened nearly his whole life, and he’d be damned if he went down cowering and scared. He could at least go down swinging.

And swing he did.

Axel reared back and struck with the crowbar, plunging the tapered straight end directly into the place where one of the creature’s eyes should be. Right into the bundle of sickly looking mushrooms. It went in deep, and Axel found his fists nearly buried in the moss and mushrooms of its skull.

The beast stopped, and went quiet. Then all at once, it let out a guttural howl. Axel cried out and clutched his head, falling backwards almost on top of Roxas as the echoing sounds of warping and splintering wood pierced his skull.

The monster howled and wretched, and those decaying vines spilled from its open jaws again. Along with them, came a horrid sludge, like black tar mixed with the rotten dredges of a stagnant pond. It landed in Axel and Roxas’ laps, and they ended up splattered in the muck.

When the creature seemed done emptying its ‘guts’, it went still. Eerily frozen for a moment, before it slowly fell to its side, creaking and crashing then all at once still as a fallen tree.

The two men were left panting, their gasps for air suddenly the loudest thing in the clearing. They stared at the downed creature in shock, before finally gathering themselves enough to notice the muck they were suddenly covered in. Both men gagged and groaned in disgust.

“Oh  _ God, _ ” Roxas bemoaned and he tried to shake a bit of the gunk off his hands.

Axel looked down at his own clothes in both disgust and disdain, and tried not to gag at the stench. He felt oddly bad for Hayner, seeing as the man had just washed them the night before. It was a funny thought for all that they’d just gone through, and a small laugh bubbled up in Axel’s throat. It came out small, but was followed by another, and then another. Soon he was laughing uncontrollably, a manic and near sobbing sound though it was.

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the  _ fuck? _ ” he mumbled over and over in between laughs and gasps for air, as tears pricked his eyes.

Next to him, Roxas was quiet, either disturbed by his reaction, or else letting Axel simply ride it out.

Slowly, his laughter petered out, and Roxas took it as his cue to get to his feet. He stood slowly, groaning at the movement, then turned and offered his hand to Axel. 

Axel took it, and with a surprising bit of strength, Roxas hauled him to his feet.

“What... the  _ fuck _ was that?” Axel asked, once he’d finally found his voice again.

Roxas turned to look down at the still creature and shrugged. “I can’t really say I know, though I’m fairly certain it’s what we’ve been looking for this whole time.”

“Yeah you  _ think? _ ”

Roxas ignored his sarcasm, and turned to peer back up at Axel. He had a nasty scrape along his left cheek, most likely from being thrown off the monster, and when he offered Axel a small grin, there was a bit of blood in his mouth. “Hey,” he said, voice surprisingly even and calm. “You saved me back there. Might’a done me in if you hadn’t smacked the shit outta that thing. Thanks.”

That snapped Axel out of his rapidly approaching panic attack. He could only blink and stammer for a moment, before he cleared his throat and found what words to say. “Oh, no I... I mean, it was nothing. Or, maybe not nothing but just... anyone would do it. A-and besides, you saved me first. And then a second time...” he rubbed the back of his head, sparing a glance down at the dead creature’s thorny teeth. “I guess what I mean to say is... if you hadn’t shown up, I’d have been... monster chow, I guess. So... thank you. For saving me too.”

Roxas smiled at him, then turned his attention back down to the creature with a sigh. “We’ll have to get this thing out of here.”

“Wait,  _ what? _ ”

“I said we have to get it out of here. Get rid of it,” Roxas sighed again.

“But-“

“Look, do you want people finding...  _ this? _ ” He asked, motioning with his hand at the pile of warped wood and foliage that had just been trying to kill them.

“Well... no, I guess not,” Axel mumbled, casting a glance back down at the beast. No, he really didn’t want some poor, unsuspecting hiker to come across this...  _ thing _ . Even dead, it was unsettling. “But, is it really ok to keep it a secret?”

“Who would we tell?” Roxas breathed out a laugh. “Trust me, Ax, I’ve been doing this for a long time. The people who’ll believe you are all practical nobodies like me, or they’re people you  _ don’t _ want knowing what you know. Everyone else dismisses you or calls you crazy. I have a contact in this area I’ll inform, just so they can... keep an eye out. But that’s it. And speaking of contacts...”

Roxas reached to his belt and unclipped a walkie-talkie. He grimaced at the amount of black gunk splattered on it, and did his best to shake it off. He tested the button and sighed in relief as it beeped. “Thank god, at least it still works. Roxas to Olette, come in.”

There was a pause, then another crackling beep from the walkie-talkie. 

_ “Roxas! Did you find him?” _

“Yeah, I found him,” he cast a glance Axel’s way and smirked. “And our monster, too.”

_ “Are you two okay? I heard gunshots...” _

“We’re fine. But I need the three of you to come find us. Gonna need help hauling this thing out.”

_ “I’m on my way. You’re off in the east, right?” _

“Somewhere thereabout. I wanna say close to Black Water Creek. Though, you’ll probably smell us long before ya see us.”

_ “I don’t even wanna know.”  _ The walkie talkie crackled as she sighed into it. _ “But ok, I’ll inform the other three and we’ll rendezvous.” _

“Hurry, if ya can. Those gunshots may have been heard by more than just you.”

_ “Will do.” _

“Shouldn’t you use radio lingo with those things. You know, ‘over and out’ and stuff?” Axel asked once Roxas finished his conversation.

Roxas laughed and simply shrugged. “Maybe. Probably. But it always felt too weird.” He clipped the device back onto his belt and began to rummage around in his pockets. He pulled out a crushed box of cigarettes and groaned when he found them to be completely soaked with muck as well. “Yeah ‘m not putting that in my mouth,” he muttered and shoved the box back into his pocket with a huff.

Axel watched as the other man shuffled over to the beast, and reached down to grip the crowbar still lodged in its skull. With a swift and forceful pull, he yanked it out with a sickening wet crunch. 

“So much for it being a devil dog, or whatever,” Axel said as Roxas swung the crowbar a few times to rid it of the gunk and muck left on it.

“Never really thought it was one of those exactly. I told you it was just our closest approximation. Though...” he used the makeshift weapon to prod at the thing’s skull, turning it a bit, and pushing away some of the moss and flaking bark. “I don’t think it was always, well...  _ this. _ Take a look.”

As he scraped away a bit more of the wood and vines, he revealed what looked like an actual skull underneath, though the bone was warped and cracked, and not merely from Axel and Roxas’ attacks.

Axel grimaced. “What was it then?”

“Wolf, maybe,” Roxas shrugged. “Possibly coyote? Something like that, if I had to guess.”

Despite the creature having just tried to kill them, Axel couldn’t help but feel sorry for the animal it had once been. The transformation didn’t look... pleasant. “What happened to it?”

“Honestly? Can’t say I know.” Roxas finished his poking and prodding. “But at least it’s gone now. Thanks to you, of course.”

He smiled, but it was of little comfort to Axel. Another question was bothering him. “How... long was I out here?”

“Hours.” Roxas blew out a sigh. “We been lookin’ for ya since you ran off. You don’t remember?”

Axel shook his head. “I vaguely remember running... then suddenly, I was here, and it was getting dark.” Axel stared down at the beast, and was quiet for a moment, chewing his bottom lip. “...you really didn’t hear it?”

“I thought I might have heard it once but... no,” Roxas said, shaking his head. “I never heard it like you did. I wonder why...” he mused softly, though it was more to himself than Axel. Axel didn’t want to delve into the answer, and was thankful Roxas was happy to let it drop.

And so they were left in silence for a few minutes, each man occupied with his own thoughts. That was until a sharp whistle echoed through the trees, grabbing both of their attentions.

Roxas put his fingers to his lips and whistled in response. He waited for roughly thirty seconds, then whistled again. Another whistle - closer this time - came back in response, and after another minute of waiting, Olette came trudging through the trees.

“ _ There _ you are!” She said, beaming at the two men as she breathed out a sigh of relief. “And-  _ oh. _ ” She caught sight of the fallen beast and her nose wrinkled. “Wow, you were serious about the smell, huh?” She asked, and covered her nose to avoid retching.

“Yeah,” Roxas huffed out a small laugh. “I’m gonna need, like, ten showers after all this.”

There was a rustling behind Olette, and both Hayner and Pence emerged from the brush.

“Holy  _ shit _ .” Hayner said upon seeing both Axel and Roxas’ state. “Y’all good?”

“We’re fine,” Roxas nodded. “Gonna need to haul  _ that _ back to camp and destroy it though,” he said, pointing to the dead creature. “I think Olette, Hayner and I can take care of it. Pence, would you go on ahead and get Axel back to camp?”

“Can do,” Pence nodded eagerly, and stepped toward Axel.

“You... don’t need help?” Axel asked, glancing between Roxas, his recruits, and the monster. It was big, and that wood seemed hefty.

“We got it,” Roxas assured him. “You need to get back to camp and... sit down for a bit I think. Get a hot drink and get that shakin’ under control.”

It was then that Axel realized his hands were trembling. Hell, his whole body tremored slightly. Reluctantly, he agreed, and followed Pence out of the clearing while the remaining three circled to formulate their strategy on hauling the thing back.

The trek back to the cabin was surprisingly short. They reached the campground in just ten to fifteen minutes, and Axel had to wonder where the  _ hell _ he’d been running the whole day. Had he just been going in circles for hours?

Pence led him inside and, in a daze, Axel meandered up to the shower, desperate to wash off the foul muck he’d been covered in. There was little hope for his clothes, and he just prayed he could borrow that pair of shorts and tank top again.

Once clean, he cracked the door to find that Pence had, in fact, left said clothing outside the bathroom door. Axel changed and padded back down into the main room. Immediately, Pence was there with a hot drink — tea, Axel realized, belatedly — and a blanket.

“Why don’t ya sit down for a bit?” He said, guiding Axel over to the couch

Axel led himself be led, too dazed to do otherwise. His adrenaline had finally dropped, and his whole body felt heavy, his mind fuzzy. He didn’t really drink his tea, so much as stared blankly into the warm mug clasped between his palms.

He roused from his daze only when there was a noise outside, and he heard Roxas’ distinct voice calling for Pence to come out and give them a hand. Though he wasn’t called, Axel got up himself and wandered outside, tea forgotten on the living room coffee table.

Outside, the sun had all but set, leaving the campground in darkness, save for a sliver of red just beyond the trees. Roxas, Hayner, and Olette were dragging the corpse of the hulking creature out of the woods and toward a fire pit off to the side of the cabin.

As Axel drew closer, he saw the creature had shriveled since he last saw it. The damp moss was gone, and the once wet and rotten wood had dried, and withered, leaving the beast looking almost mummified in bark.

The team managed to drag it to the fire pit, and all but tossed it on the ground, each panting and massaging sore muscles from the effort.

“I was worried,” Roxas said between breaths. “That we’d have a hard time burning it. But the wood’s gone all dry, so it should go up pretty easily.” He stood up straight and massaged his right shoulder, the one his largest scar ran down. “Pence, go grab some stuff for lighting a fire. I think we got some lighter fluid in the RV.”

Next to him, Olette chuckled. “That ain’t a proper way to start a fire.”

“No, but it’s a fast one. I ain’t looking to cook off this thing, I just want it gone,” Roxas replied. “Hayner, we’re gonna need to do this in pieces. Go grab a couple axes. I know we got one in the truck, and I think the owner of the cabin left one with the firewood too.”

“You got it, Boss,” Hayner said with a mock salute, and was off.

Axel sat himself down on one of the huge logs circling the fire pit and watched. Over the next hour, Olette, Roxas, and Hayner took turns chopping into the corpse of the dead creature. Axel expected it to be grosser than it was — dismembering a body, technically — but the monster really  _ was _ more wood than living being. The most unsettling part was whenever they hit bone, because yes, there apparently was a skeleton trapped somewhere beneath all that twisting and knotted wood, though muscle and fat had long since rotted away. What was left was a warped and stretched skeleton, far beyond anything Axel could identify.

Pence started up a fire using some of the smaller dried bits that came off the creature, before he began to toss in larger limbs and chunks of wooden flesh. With the fire steadily burning and most of the creature chopped into bite-sized chunks, the four broke off to attend to other things. Roxas went inside, probably to shower, while the other three took turns tending the fire, occasionally tossing a bit more of the monster into it. They left Axel alone for the most part, aside from someone — Axel couldn’t say who — draping a blanket over his shoulders and pushing a newly warmed mug of tea back into his hands.

He didn’t know exactly how long he sat there, simply staring into the flames in a daze. Watching the creature slowly burn away, bit by bit. Eventually, Roxas came back out, and joined Axel by the fireside. They were both quiet for a long time, before Axel finally spoke.

“You lied.”

“Hmm?” Roxas didn’t turn to look at him, but inclined his head ever so slightly to indicate he was listening.

“You lied,” Axel repeated. “When I first got here, you said there wasn’t anything in those woods. But there was. And you knew there probably was.”

Instead of taking offense, Roxas just huffed out a small laugh. “I  _ also _ said you should leave. I was tryin’ to get you outta here. But you stayed, so... here was are.” He knelt down and casually tossed a bit of bark into the fire. 

Axel watched it go, blackening first, then turning red hot as the flames ate away at it.

“So this.... is what you do?”

“This is what we do,” Roxas replied, seeming to understand the question without explanation. “We hunt things like this. A thankless job, mostly, but... fulfilling in a way, I guess.”

Axel turned slightly and watched as Roxas pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes, popped one into his mouth, and dug around in his pocket for a lighter. As he held the lighter to the cigarette, the tiny flame lit his face up with an orange glow.

“Since when do you smoke?” Axel asked.

Roxas laughed out a puff of smoke. “ _ What? _ Axel it’s been eighteen years since you saw me! Since when did  _ you _ grow ten feet tall?”

“I’m 6’1,” he corrected, but saw Roxas’ point.

Roxas chuckled and inhaled another breath of smoke, before blowing it out into the warm night air. He glanced down at the cigarette between his fingers and hummed in thought. “I don’t actually remember when I started. It just... happened somewhere along the way.”

Axel nodded and looked back down at the fire, and for a moment, the two lapsed into comfortable silence.

“Will you be leaving tomorrow?” Roxas asked.

Axel sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I will. I should.”

“Hm,” Roxas nodded. “I probably don’t have to tell you this but... make sure what happened tonight doesn’t end up in that article of yours.”

“Heh, don’t worry, it won’t,” Axel responder with a small, bitter laugh. “I think... I think it’d be best if I forgot tonight... happened.”

Roxas was silent for a moment, before he mumbled a soft, “If that’s what you want.” He blew another cloud of smoke into the air with a sigh. “You should get to bed. It’s been a long day, and this thing’s gonna burn all might. Maybe in to tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

Axel nodded and slowly rose from the log where he’d been sitting. He made to walk back inside, before he paused. “Hey, Roxas?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks again. For saving me, I mean. I.... thank you.”

Roxas glanced back at him, and shot him a small smile. “Get to bed, Axel.”

Axel found it within himself to smile back, and made his way inside.


	4. Call to Adventure

Axel slept in late.

His sleep had been deep and dreamless, and he hadn’t even roused when all four members of the team meandered throughout the cabin, taking turns tending the fire, and eventually going about their morning routines.

When he did finally wake, a glance at the clock told him it was just past noon. He found his clothes washed and folded neatly on the coffee table, which he noticed had been cleaned of all the notes and research previously piled on top of it. His clothes were irreparably stained, but at least they were clean and dry, and would get him back to his hotel in Durbin.

He found some leftover coffee in the kitchen, along with some bread for toast, both which he helped himself to. His whole body ached as he shuffled around the small kitchen, and he was sure he was going to find some bruises next time he looked in the mirror. 

But he was alive, so there was that.

After eating his breakfast and a bit of procrastinating, Axel got dressed and headed outside. The fire, he noticed, was still going, although much of the creature had been successfully burned away overnight. The bones remained, buried in the ashes, but Axel assumed the team had a plan for disposing of those as well.

It seemed to was Pence’s turn to man the fire, while Hayner and Olette hustled about the site. Belatedly, Axel realized they were packing up.

Hayner noticed him first. The man stopped and nodded to him in greeting, before whistling sharply to get Olette’s attention. The woman looked up from where she was stowing something away in the old red pickup. She met his eyes and gave him a smile, before wiping her hands off on her pants and walking over.

“Afternoon, Axel! Yer... headin’ out, I take it?”

“Yeah,” Axel nodded. “I take it you lot are getting ready to do the same?”

Olette glanced around the site, hands on hips, and nodded. “Yup. Looks like the job’s done, so it’s about time we got outta here.”

“Where’s Roxas?” Axel asked, noting the distinct lack of a certain blond. 

“He headed out real early this mornin’,” Olette replied. “Said he wanted to do a last sweep of the woods to make sure that thing,” she indicated the mostly dismembered beast with a nod of her head, “was the only one out there.”

“Ah,” Axel murmured. “I see. I had wanted to say goodbye...”

“You could wait ‘til he comes back,” Olette offered, but Axel shook his head.

“Nah, I think I should be going. Thank you, though. And... thanks, for all you guys have done.”

Olette gave him a warm smile, and placed a hand on his arm. “Stay in touch at least, yeah?”

Axel heard himself say he would, though he couldn’t be sure how truthful that was. So, with a small wave he walked off to give his goodbyes to Pence. 

Halfway to the fire pit, there came a sharp pain in his head. It seared behind his eyes, making his vision go white, and all sound was drowned out by a deafening ringing in his ears. He sunk to his knees with a pained cry, and clutched at his head. It left just as quickly as it came, and when Axel came to, he found all three team members surrounding him.

“Axel! Axel, are you okay?” Olette was asking him, her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

Axel swallowed thickly, and nodded. “Yeah... yeah, I’m fine.” Despite their protests, he got to his feet. “Sorry, that... that happens sometimes. Weird migraines or something, but I’m fine.” 

It wasn’t totally a lie. It wasn’t migraines, obviously, but Axel had experienced that before. Not often, and it always passed as quickly as it came, and while Axel had no explanation for what it was, he tried to not let it bother him. Just another of many things in his life he pretended weren’t really there. Though, he wished it hadn’t shown up  _ now. _

“Maybe... you should sit down?” Pence offered. “I mean, you had kind of a big night last night ‘n all...”

“Could be a concussion,” Hayner supplied. “Can’t say we were really on the ball in checkin’ for injuries.”

“It’s not, I promise,” Axel did his best to assure the other three, though they still hovered around him with concern.

“At least... at least go inside and take some pain meds, maybe?” Olette asked. “If not for yer head then at least for the rest of yer body. Roxas said y’all got pretty banged up last night, so you could probably use it.”

Axel couldn’t really deny that. And he didn’t want the team to worry about him so, reluctantly, he agreed. If it had also been a subtle way for Olette to delay him leaving for just a minute longer, it worked. Just as Axel was leaving the cabin, Roxas was making his return, trudging out of the treeline to the north. He caught sight of Axel, and made a beeline for the man. 

“Leaving’, are we?” he asked as he casually strode forward.

“Yeah. For real this time. I need to get back to town. I got... work to do, I guess.”

Roxas nodded. “Makes sense. Well... you be safe gettin’ back, alright?”

“I will. You guys be safe uh... hunting monsters, I guess,” Axel replied, and Roxas snorted.

“We make no promises.”

Axel tried to smile. He knew it was a joke, but couldn’t help but hear the truth in the statement. It worried him.

They fell into a small silence after that, each lingering as if there was something more to say, but unsure exactly what. Words hung in the air between them but neither seemed able — or willing — to give them voice.

Finally, Axel cleared his throat. “Right, well... I should be going.”

“Right.”

“So... I’ll see you around,” A blatant lie. “Goodbye, Roxas.” He gave the other man a small, half-hearted wave, then turned to leave.

Halfway to his car, Roxas called out, “Hey, Axel!” And he stopped, turning to look back at the other. A small part of him dared to hope Roxas would give him reason to stay, but Axel quickly quashed that idea.

For his part, Roxas seemed to struggle for words, before he simply said, “It... was good seeing you again, Axel. Really good. Take care of yourself, ya hear?”

A small but genuine smile crept across Axel’s features at that, and he nodded. “Yeah. Same to you.” 

And with that, he was off, back in his car and on the slow drive away from the campsite, the cabin, the team — and Roxas.

The ride back was quiet, save for the bumping and rumbling of his car along the gravel road. That too quieted down once Axel got back to the main road, which was properly paved and much more suitable for driving. But the woods themselves were quiet. Not silent, but peaceful in a way Axel hadn’t realized they weren’t before.

His own thoughts plagued him, jumbled and swirling in his mind, and eventually Axel turned the radio back on in an attempt to drown them out.

The sight of Durbin, revealing itself from behind a bend in the trees as Axel slowly emerged from the woods should have been a relief. Back to civilization. Normalcy. Safety. But it wasn’t. Instead, all Axel felt was a small, hollow hole newly formed in his chest.

He pushed it away as best he could as he drove back into town, and made his way to the small hotel he’d holed himself up in. As he returned to his room, he was greeted with more silence, though now, the quiet felt empty. Lonely. Not like the living quiet of the woods, but an oppressive silence that told Axel he was... alone.

Had he always been this alone?

He lived alone, sure. Hadn’t had many relationships, and didn’t even keep many people as close friends. He’d always thought he liked being independent, but he had to wonder now... had he simply been isolating himself?

With a heavy sigh, Axel tossed his keys, wallet and phone onto the bed, and made for the hotel room’s wardrobe, where he’d stored his clean clothes and spare shoes. He reached for the handle, but stopped, surprised by his own reflection in the mirror mounted on the wardrobe door.

He was a mess. God, he was a fucking mess. His hair was wild, unkempt despite his best efforts. His clothes were irreparably stained and torn in spots. He had bags under his eyes and small cuts and scrapes littered his face and hands. An angry bruise was forming on the underside of his jaw, which he’d hit in his fall the night before.

And he’d never looked so alive. A brightness burned behind his own eyes that he never even known was missing before. What’s more, he  _ felt _ _ alive_.

And all at once, he felt angry. Angry at himself for spending his life doing...  _ what _ ? Being afraid? Running from things he could see, and things he couldn’t? Stifling himself and beating the life out of himself all in a desperate attempt to keep himself safe?

Axel could very easily pack up his things and continue on his way, as planned. Write his little fluff article, then forget about all he’d seen — or try to, at least. Go back to his normal, safe, life. His dull, gray, safe life.

He could so easily do all of that. But Axel found he didn’t  _ wan _ t to.

Axel flung open the wardrobe doors and, instead of grabbing one fresh set of clothes, he grabbed his entire collection in his arms and pulled it from the closet. He flung it all on his bed, then gave the same treatment to the adjoining dresser drawers.

In a flurry, he went into the restroom and grabbed his toiletries off the counter and out of the shower, and brought them back to the pile he’d made on the bed. He knelt down and dragged his suitcase out from under the bed and hefted it up onto the mattress.

Axel opened it up with a flourish and began to toss his clothes inside, with little care as to their organization or how wrinkled they’d get. He swept around the room, grabbing all his belongings and tossing them haphazardly into his suitcase. When everything was in, he closed the suitcase and zipped it up tight. With one last sweep around the room to make sure he’d grabbed everything, Axel was out the door.

He nearly tripped over himself getting to the front desk, and the receptionist there looked startled at his appearance. He couldn’t blame her, but he also couldn’t be bothered to care how he looked.

He checked out early, and with a hurried goodbye, ran out the hotel doors with his suitcase rolling loudly behind him. He tossed it into his trunk, then hopped into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

He left Durbin without looking back.

But he didn’t go home, or continue in his way around the northeastern U.S. Instead, Axel drove his little car right back up into the hills of the Monongahela forest. He rolled his windows down and breathed in the piney wood air, as he followed the road right back up the way he came. He didn’t even need a map or directions to get back. Axel simply knew the way.

Pulling off onto the little gravel road, his car rumbled and rattled as he drove a little faster than he should have. A part of him had worried he’d be too late, but a small smoke trail rising above the tree line told him he had time. They weren’t gone yet.

Finally, the trees parted, and Axel found himself once again, back in the campsite. His return clearly drew attention, as all four members of the team stopped what they were doing to look at their return visitor in dismay.

Axel killed the engine, and stumbled out of the car, just as Roxas was coming to greet him with an understandably confused and guarded expression.

“Axel. Didn’t really expect to see yo-“

“I’m coming with you!” Axel blurted out, not giving the other man time to finish.

Roxas was startled silent for a moment, before he tentatively asked, “I’m sorry... what?”

Axel swallowed hard. “I said I’m coming with you.”

Roxas blanked at him in dismay, before shaking his head. “Axel, what? No, don’t be ridiculous.”   
  
“I’m not being ridiculous!”

“Of course you are!” Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose. “ _ Why  _ would you wanna come with us? Have ya given this…  _ any _ thought? You have a job, Axel. A career. A… everything! Ya can’t just drop it all to go traipsing around the country with us!”

“I know, I know,” Axel held his hands up in defense. “But, hear me out. I want to come with you. I  _ need _ to. I.. I mean... Roxas, I can’t just go back. I can’t just pretend last night didn’t happen. I know I’m not good at this and I have a lot to learn but I can be useful. I can pull my own weight if you just let me, but I  _ can’t _ go back now. Roxas, you said I was living my life like a coward, and you were right, and I don’t want to live that way anymore. So...” a deep breath. “I’m coming with you.”

There was silence after that, Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette all staring at him in shock and dismay. Axel chewed at his lower lip, afraid they’d turn him away. Laugh at his rash decision and call him a fool.

Roxas looked Axel up and down with a searching gaze, then blew out a breath and ran a hand through his messy blonde locks. He dragged the hand down his face and stared off into the trees in thought, and every second that ticked by, Axel grew more and more nervous for an answer. “Well,” Roxas finally said slowly. He placed his hands on his hips and glanced back at his colleagues, measuring their response as a sly grin crept across his own features.

“I guess you better start helpin’ us pack. We wanna be out of here before sunset.”


	5. Journal of One Roxas Brooks - 1

**_Aug. 15_ **

_ At the risk of sounding up my own ass, I am not the type to be caught off guard or taken by surprise. Not anymore. To say I have seen some shit in my time would be an understatement, and these days it takes something pretty big to knock me off my feet. _

_ A ghost trying to get into my cabin’s back door, would be one such event. _

_ It wasn’t the kind of ghost I’m used to, or course. The ephemeral, other worldly kind I have had professional and intimately close experience with. _

_ Instead this ghost was made of solid, human flesh and bone. A ghost I thought for sure was buried far, far in the past. _

_ But there he was, Axel Cunningham in the flesh, and trying to sneak into my fucking cabin. He stopped when I pointed a gun in his face, an act which I won’t say I’m proud of, but also won’t apologize for. _

_ I knew it was Axel of course, before I even asked for a name. We could be separated by time and distance, and I would _ _ still _ _ know those green eyes and that red hair. The tattoos are new. As is Axel’s gained height. 6ft I’m assuming, and a stark contrast to the 4’5 boy I knew when we were kids. _

_ Still, this new Axel slotted perfectly next to the grubby, red headed kid I remember. _

_ I knew immediately that he didn’t recognize _ _ me _ _ . He stared at me with curiosity instead of recognition, and confirmed my suspicions when he asked my name. _

_ I tried not to take it personally. Axel naturally stands out, and makes himself memorable by the mere act of being who he is. Blond haired, blue eyed men like myself are a little more dime-a-dozen than tall redheads. _

_ And, if Axel had consciously chosen to forget me, then that was well within his right to do so. I wouldn’t blame him. _

_ I lied to him, of course. Well, concealed the truth of who I was, at the very least, but that’s practically the same thing. _

_ He seemed un-eager and unhappy to be here, and considering the dangers in our work, I hoped to chase him away quickly, before anything could happen. I dislike nosy journalists in general, but having a history with said journalist could only complicate things. _

_ And, I guess, I was scared of how he’d react if he knew it was me. I’ve assumed all these years that he hated me. I could accept him hating me from a distance, where I never had to confront it. I didn’t want to see it in person. So I lied. _

_ Hayner fucked up that plan pretty quickly, to no one’s surprise. So I did the next best thing and avoided Axel. As much as a part of me would like to reminisce with Axel — assuming he doesn’t hate me — I _ _ do _ _ have work to do. _

_ I spent the day in the woods, like I have off an on over the past few weeks, as I’ve noted in previous entries. _

_ Until now, I’ve had very little luck in locating either of the things I’m looking for. _

_ I’m getting worried. I have a hunch that something is here, and my instincts are rarely wrong. It’s been a month, however, and I can’t keep my team here much longer based solely on a hunch. Not without further evidence to keep us in the area. _

_ When I returned, once again fruitless, I found Axel ready to stay the night in his car. Idiot. I brought him inside, made sure he ate, and sent him to bed. _

_ Something bothers me, however. He mentioned hearing something in the woods, which I did not. I fear what that could mean, and I insisted he imagined it. _

_ Axel’s presence bothers me. _

_ After all these years, what are the odds our paths would cross like this? After all the things I’ve seen in this life, I don’t believe in luck or serendipity much anymore. Not with things like this. Has Axel been drawn here? If so, why? _

_ It worries me. I will do what I can to encourage him to leave come morning. _

** _Aug. 16_ **

_ Axel stayed another night. I told myself I would dissuade his further looking into our work, and convince him to leave today. _

_ As task which I have failed at miserably. _

_ So much so that I actually invited him to work with me today! Why did I do that? Maybe I’m grasping at straws in hopes he doesn’t hate me after all. Maybe I was reminded how good it was to be in his company again. _

_ And it was good. Though brief, it felt like slipping back into how we were all those years ago. _

_ It was short lived. We fought. I pushed him too hard, said things I regret. I called him a coward, and I wish I could say I didn’t mean it, that I was speaking brashly, but it would be a lie. So much of Axel his how I remember him, but in terms of bravery, he’s a shadow of the boy I knew. _

_ Still, it wasn’t my place to say it, and he stormed out on me, as he had a right to do. I told myself it was for the best. That if he was angry at me, then maybe he’d finally leave, and return to safety. Something I truly believe he should do, despite my accusations of his cowardice. _

_ I left to investigate the woods again. _

_ Little has come about in terms of the creature stalking the woods. But I believe I have found the trail leading to Shelburne. _

_ I have reason to believe it exists — or that it did. But tracking what’s no longer there is difficult if you don’t know what to look for. _

_ That said, through my searches, I believe I have pinpointed a section of the forest where I believe it to be hidden. _

_ Once again, I had to cut my search before I found it, but I believe I am getting closer. _

_ When I returned, Axel was still here. I fear what might be keeping him here. Surely he isn’t that committed to this assignment. _

_ Is he compelled to stay? If so, why, or by what? _

_ Upon my return Axel was asleep. I made to go upstairs when I thought I heard... something. Exactly what I can’t quite say, but it makes me wonder. _

_ I will keep my ears open, and eyes on Axel. _

** _Aug. 17_ **

_ I am tired beyond reason. _

_ I really thought Axel would be leaving today. I believe he thought the same thing. _

_ Instead, just as we were about to say goodbye, Axel ran off into the woods like a madman. I am reminded of stories about sailors, drawn to sirens. _

_ I can not describe the fear I suddenly felt in that moment. _

_ I know what kind of creatures lurk in the woods, and which lure their prey in such unnatural ways. And I know just how little experience Axel has with such things. _

_ I feared I would lose him for good this time. Accepting never seeing him again because he hated me was something I could live with, so long as Axel was alive and safe. _

_ If he were to be killed due to my own negligence, I don’t know if I could live with myself. _

_ So, I alerted the others, grabbed my gun, and gave chase. We searched for _ _ hours _ _ , with no sign of where Axel had gone. It was almost dark by the time I finally found him. I’d say it was purely by luck, as we were searching blind, but you know how I feel about luck. _

_ All in all, I’ve seen worse beasts in my time, though I’m sure Axel would disagree. Our hunch that it was a wolf-like creature wasn’t incorrect, though I’d also call it far from accurate. The creature was made mostly of wood and undergrowth, so it’s no wonder we had such a hard time tracking it. We later found a wolf skeleton inside its twisted body, and I hypothesize it once _ _ was _ _ a wolf, that by magic or mutation became the thing we found. _

_ Had the team been together, it would have been a much smoother fight. With just myself and Axel, however, we were lucky to get out as unscathed as we did. Axel struck the killing blow. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit proud of him. _

_ When the team arrived, I sent him on ahead while Olette, Hayner and I hauled the creature back to dispose of it. Thank god for Olette’s strength. _

_ The beast will likely burn well into tomorrow, huge as it is. I hope to make another early excursion in search of Shelburne in the morning. _

_ I suspect Axel will truly be leaving us come tomorrow. _

** _Aug. 18_ **

_ Axel’s car smells like fancy cologne. _

_ I know this, as I’m currently riding along in his passenger seat. _

_ When Axel drove away this afternoon, I well and truly thought it was the last time I would see him. We parted on... well enough terms. Far better than the last time, and I was ready to be happy with that. _

_ I did not expect him to return within an hour’s time insisting he go with us. I know he’s not completely naive as to what he’s getting into, considering what he’s experienced thus far. But still, I can’t help but feel I should have put up more of a fight. I tried to tell him he couldn’t come, but the so-called resistance I put up was laughable in hindsight. _

_ I wonder how long he’ll stay. Maybe until the next horrible monster we come across? Or maybe just until the morning when he realizes what a horrible mistake he’s made. Only time will tell. _

_ Until then, I’ll try to enjoy his company once again, for as long as he will allow. _

_ As for Shelburne. The place is, as I suspected, gone. I found it, of course, but as far as the world at large cares, it’s gone. I found another anchor point there, as I suspected I would, and destroyed it. _

_ It never gets easier, seeing such ghost towns. The weight of things disappeared and forgotten never fails to weigh on me. _

_ That said, it was surprisingly easy for me to pinpoint the old town’s location this morning. I can’t help but wonder if it has something to do with the monster Axel killed the night before. Perhaps even Axel himself. _

_ I may never know, but I feel it important to note my suspicion. In the meantime, Pence thinks he has another lead for us to investigate, so we’re on our way. _

_ Axel has... bad taste in music. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is! *does a little dance*
> 
> This idea has been on my mind for awhile, so once NaNoWriMo hit, I got to work on it!
> 
> I’ll be posting this one a little different that my other works, and that I won’t be posting on a chapter by chapter basis.  
Instead, I’m going to post in episodes/arcs. So this whole chunk of chapters is the first arc. The next one of course take awhile, but should be a good chunk of chapters when it’s done.
> 
> I hope people like this, as I had a lot of fun writing it! Pls lemme know what you think! ♥  
Also! I have a bit of an unofficial playlist for this fic! 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2MOF6WB3itkbwPDakbxeAx?si=VtbjX5ICR-2XciUOIpSZZQ
> 
> I also have some characters currently being beta’d and edited for A Witch’s Charm, so if you’re reading that, look forward to some new stuff there soon!


	6. Out of Place

Axel woke up with a foot digging into his side.

“Oi, Red, get up!” Hayner stood above Axel and nudged him with his foot until, groaning, Axel sat up. “C’mon man, we need to use the table, time to get up.”

“‘M up, I’m up,” Axel muttered and swatted Hayner away. 

This was a morning routine he was getting used to.

The main living space in the RV had three beds. Two were converted from the built-in couches by simply sliding the cushions out into a flat position. The third took a little more work, requiring the dining table be folded away and used as support for the slide-out cushions.

Hayner and Olette had opted to share the larger of the sleeper sofas, which could accommodate two. The full bed in the back could as well, but it was decided that they should keep that space a private area to trade off weekly between them, and it was currently Pence’s turn there.

Roxas had insisted on taking the other smaller couch, and Axel knew why come the following morning when _he_ was forced to get up to accommodate the dining table, while Roxas slept on.

And sleep he did. After joining the crew, Axel began to learn a whole host of small things about them over the following days. One thing he learned about Roxas was the man’s tendency to sleep in. It was most likely due to the other thing Axel learned about him, which was that Roxas was a chronic night owl. Whether it was work that kept him up, or simply an inability to sleep, Axel wasn’t sure, but Roxas consistently stayed up well past his companions all succumbed to slumber.

Well, except for Axel. Axel knew of Roxas’ tendencies to stay up late because he himself was finding sleep an elusive bedfellow. Perhaps it was the bed; a bit small for his long legs, and lumpy compared to the mattress at home. Or perhaps it was the light from Roxas’ phone or computer screen that lit up his corner of the dark RV.

Or maybe it was the clawing doubt that wriggled into the back of Axel’s mind once the rest of the world had gone dark, and quiet.

Axel’s departure with the team had been sudden. Rash. Unplanned, unexamined, and so unlike the careful and meticulous construction that was his life thus far. Had he made a mistake? Had he been too rash? Should he go home, and pretend this never happened? Was he intruding on the team?

Thoughts of doubt and worry swirled around in his brain in endless circles, until sleep finally came for him each night, or rather, in the early hours of the morning.

And morning always came too soon.

Axel shot the lump of blankets that was Roxas a small glare, envying his continued slumber, before he reluctantly dragged himself out of bed. He pulled on some clean clothes, stole a bagel from the little pantry, and grabbed his tablet before ambling out into the morning light.

The RV park they’d temporarily settled in was quaint, mostly full of old folks enjoying their retirement via cross-country travel, and the occasional family dragging their kids along for much of the same. It wasn’t nearly as nice as their cabin situation had been, but Axel understood the myriad of reasons they couldn’t stay there, cost being at the top of said list.

Olette was already awake, and milling about outside. She caught sight of Axel as he exited the camper and shot him a wide smile. “Mornin’!”

“Morning, Olette,” Axel echoed, not nearly as awake or chipper. “What’s on the agenda today?”

“Well, Hayner ‘n I were probably gonna do some tune-up work on the RV. Use the downtime to keep her in good condition and whatnot,” she said, motioning to the vehicle in question. “After that, it’s more of the same-old.”

The same-old, as Axel had learned, included a lot of hunting for their next target, as well as looking for side work to earn some extra cash. Turns out the team wasn’t always called into something personally, and often had to find their own places and monsters to investigate. If said missions would garner any money, it was always a toss up, so the team took on odd jobs here and there to help stay afloat

Axel had once asked exactly what they did for money outside of those odd jobs, and never really got a straight answer.

The only departure from job hunting was when Roxas had taken the team to some little middle-of-nowhere town for a reason the man would not disclose. Axel hoped the place would help him with his story, but the place had been so dead there was no story left to right, save perhaps for eulogy. And whatever Roxas had been hoping to find was apparently also a bust, so at least Axel wasn’t the only one left disappointed.

“What about you?” Olette asked, which Axel answered by holding up his tablet.

“Same old for me too, I guess,” he yawned. Larxene still needed that article, and Axel was going to write it.

“Still working as a journalist?”

Axel nodded and sat himself down at the little picnic table provided to their spot. “Yeah. I know I kinda... up and left with you all on a whim, but I figure if I can hold onto his job _and_ travel with you, I should. Make some extra cash, ya know?”

There was also his big story about vanishing small towns he wanted to write but, well. Axel wasn’t sure how quickly he’d be able to do that one now. He had no idea where the team would be going next, or if they’d even stay in the northeastern part of the country at all.

Olette just nodded and let him get to work, while she wandered back towards the RV and shouted at Hayner to get a move on. Turned out tuning up the old RV meant first making a run to town for supplies, and Axel waved them off as the two climbed into the red pickup and drove away.

There was some noise from inside the RV — most likely Pence shuffling around and either getting breakfast or getting ready to work himself.

Aside from that, Axel was left alone to work in peace. He had, in fact, decided to write about Devil Dogs for the article Larxene wanted. Of course, he left out any more personal accounts in regards to the creature he saw, and instead regurgitated some facts about the creatures of myth and lore, which he found online.

He also fabricated interviews with a team of paranormal investigators, all of which he gave different names to than his current companions.

Larxene was right about one thing: it was easy. Axel didn’t like to think what that said about the current state of journalism.

The hours passed slowly. Axel all but completed his piece. It just needed some revisions and clean up. In the quiet, he took the time to start drafting something a little harder to write: an explanation to Larxene about his rather... sudden change of plans. She wasn’t going to be happy with him and his impulsive decision to stray off course and go monster hunting with what was essentially an estranged friend and three strangers.

Hell, even Axel had looked at himself in the mirror multiple times and thought _‘What the hell are you doing?’_

He tried not to dwell on that question too long.

The crunch of gravel and blaring radio signaled the eventual return of Hayner and Olette, as the old pickup came rolling back into their spot. Axel opted to leave his unfinished email to Larxene for the time being, in favor of meeting the two as they hopped out of the vehicle.

“Got what you needed?” He asked.

“Yup!” Olette nodded, then reached back into the truck to pull out a plastic shopping bag, which she held up triumphantly. “We also picked up some cleaning supplies. The inside of the RV is getting a little musty, and I think it’s high time we do some scrubbin’.”

“She means _you_ do some scrubbin’, new guy,” Hayner said as he passed Axel and entered the RV. Without denial, Olette just shrugged and handed the plastic bag off to Axel, before following Hayner.

Axel peeked into the bag and sighed, then followed suit.

The inside of the camper was livelier than it had been when Axel woke up. Hayner had his foot dug into Roxas’ side in much the same way he’d done to Axel that morning.

“Get _up_ already!” He barked while nudging Roxas, who growled in response and grabbed Hayner’s leg by the ankle. Hayner toppled over onto the pullout bed, and the two men proceeded to squabble and fight in a heap of flailing limbs.

Pence squawked as a foot jutted out and kicked the table he was working on, jostling his laptop and nearly spilling the mug of coffee he’d placed nearby. “_Hey!_” he yelled and scooped up his laptop and drink before any real damage could be done to them. “What are you two? Children?”

Olette, clearly used to their antics, ignored the men and busied herself with pouring her own cup of late-morning coffee.

Axel stood in the door to the camper, watching the scene unfold, stuck somewhere between amusement and, well, feeling a bit lost. He felt out of place, like a stranger amongst them. Which, he was, all things considered. The team had been kind enough to let him join them, and they did their best to make him feel welcome, but Axel was still an outsider. His closest connection was with Roxas, and even he was very much a stranger now.

Olette rejoined him, sipping coffee as she watched the three bickering men. Finally, seeming to have enough, she handed her cup to Axel and strode over to the group. In one swift movement, she grabbed the man closest to her — Roxas — by the collar and hauled him up off the bed. Roxas yelped and flailed, which did little more than make him look like an angry cat being pulled up by the scruff of his neck.

“That’s enough,” she said, releasing Roxas only once he’d given up struggling. “C’mon, Hayner, we got work to do.”

Grumbling, Hayner picked himself up off the fold-out bed, looking equally tousled. He shoved Roxas with his shoulder as he passed by the other man, but Axel didn’t miss the small smirk that played on both of their faces.

“Honestly,” Olette huffed and followed after Hayner. She stopped to take her coffee from Axel, and motioned to the bag of supplies he still carried. “Rest of the cleaning stuff is under the sink.” And with that, she was out the door.

A small huff of laughter drew Axel’s attention back to the fold-out bed, where Roxas had plopped himself down, and was watching him with a grin. “Got assigned the bitch work, huh?”

“Guess so,” Axel shrugged. “What about you?”

“He should be helping look for leads,” Pence said before Roxas himself could respond.

“I’ve _been_ looking,” Roxas huffed and got up. He folded the bed back into its couch position, then ambled into the kitchen to help himself to the remaining coffee.

“So... I take it you guys haven’t found anything new to... investigate?” Axel asked. 

Roxas grumbled as he sipped from an old mug with a faded rainbow plastered across its side. “We’ve found some. But ain’t any of them worth a damn. ‘Least not if we can find somethin’ else.”

“And... if you can’t find something else?” Axel ventured.

But Roxas didn’t seem concerned. “Something always comes up. Our lil’ old team ain’t killed every monster out there. Not by a long shot.” Roxas shot Axel a smirk, glanced down at the bag of cleaning supplies, then back up. “Now, get on to work.”

So, Axel did.

He started with the kitchen. Scrubbed down the little sink and narrow counters. Wiped the microwave clean of old food splatters. Cleaned the fridge of food, some which hadn’t seen the light of day in too long, and which certainly didn’t deserve to now.

It wasn’t the dirtiest kitchen he’d ever seen. He’d seen bachelor pads and college dorms that were worse, and it was obvious that the team did their best to keep it relatively tidy. But it was clearly a small space shared by four — now five — busy people.

He moved on to the bathroom next, scrubbing and scouring the toilet and the sink and the little shower which he was still learning to squeeze his tall frame into. His hands already felt dry from the hot water, soap, and cleaners he used, but it was the first time he felt like he was actually of use to the team. He may not have known how to help them with their monster hunting yet, but Axel could clean.

When he ambled back out of the bathroom, he found Roxas standing in the kitchen by the garbage bag Axel had been slowly filling over the past few hours. He looked like he was waiting for Axel.

“Need something?” Axel asked.

“Gettin’ full,” Roxas hummed and nudged the black bag. “C’mon, let’s take it to the dumpster.”

“You gonna escort me?” Axel chuckled and shoved a few more things into it, before pulling the plastic drawstrings to close the bag up tight.

Roxas just shrugged. “I need to stretch my legs and have a smoke break.”

The two men stepped out of the camper into the warm afternoon sunlight. They briefly stopped to check in on Hayner and Olette before they began the small hike through the RV park towards the faded green dumpster at the end. Roxas pulled a box of cigarettes from his pocket — purchased just a couple days prior, but somehow the box already looked like it had gone through the ringer. He popped one between his lips, then fished his lighter out from his other pocket.

Roxas flicked the lighter a few times grumbling as it only sparked again and again before finally lighting. It would need to be replaced soon. He took a deep drag, then exhaled slowly, holding the black cigarette between his fingers.

Roxas liked to smoke clove cigarettes, Axel learned. They were his favorite, but he normally stuck to regular ones since he had to buy the clove kind online. Or settle for the “cigar” kind, which were sold in smaller packs and — according to Roxas — a rip-off. Axel could only take his word for it. Still, Axel had to admit he rather liked the slightly sweet and spicy smell the black cigarettes had.

“So, how ya settlin’ in?” Roxas asked.

“I’m.... settling. Best as I can, at least. Sleeping’s hard in those beds,” he chuckled, and Roxas did as well. “And living with other people is... an adjustment.”

“I take it you lived alone?”

“Yeah,” Axel nodded and traded the garbage back from one hand to the other. “I had a roommate my first year in college, but... well, we drove each other crazy. Him more so than me, in hindsight. But after that I realized I much preferred living on my own, so... that’s what I did.”

“Been livin’ on yer own since? No girlfriends or nothin’?” Roxas flicked a bit of ash from the end of his cigarette, and nodded to an elderly couple as they passed by.

“Well, first of all, it would be a boyfriend, so jot that down.” Axel glanced down at Roxas from the corner of his eye. He knew perfectly well what little backwater town Roxas grew up in, and how some — many — of the folks back there viewed his “lifestyle.” Briefly, he worried Roxas would think the same. React poorly.

But Roxas didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. He just took another drag from his cigarette and chuckled softly. “Noted.”

“And secondly,” Axel continued, relieved. “No. My relationships were few and far between, and none of them lasted long enough for us to really consider moving in together. Probably for the best.” He shrugged. “I was, and would have been... hell to live with for many of those years.”

“Yeah? Why’dya say that?”

Axel gave a soft hum, but didn’t respond. They neared the old steel dumpster, and with a single swing, Axel flung the garbage inside. Dusting his hands off, he finally glanced back down at Roxas. “What about you? I mean, I know you pretty much live with the team now, but what about before?”

The two men turned and began the slow trek back towards their spot in the lot. “We moved out of ol’ Ashcroft when I was seventeen,” Roxas began. “And I moved out on my own a year later. Lived alone in a little shit hole for a couple years, before I met the gang. Moved into a place with Hayner for a year while I started up the whole monster huntin’ thing. I saved up money, bought the RV, and was ready for business. We’ve been on the road together since.”

“You ever miss living on your own?”

Roxas thought of a moment, blowing another cloud of smoke as he exhaled. “I miss having a bath tub and being able to take a shit in peace.”

Axel barked out a laugh at the blunt, and somewhat crude answer. 

“You laugh, but you’ll miss it too,” Roxas added.

“Oh I’m sure I will. I’ll miss being able to piss with the door open too.”

Roxas snorted, smoke puffing out of his mouth and nostrils. “Gross.”

“Oh, like you didn’t. Bet you walked around your place naked ‘n everything.” Axel shot the small man a smirk. “You were always the one more keen on skinny dipping as kids.”

“Still am,” Roxas replied without hesitation, returning Axel’s sly smirk, then walked ahead as they neared the RV. Olette and Hayner were still outside, though they seemed caught up in some kind of discussion. “How goes it?” Roxas asked as he approached the two.

Hayner turned to face Roxas and leaned one shoulder against the side of the camper, then motioned to Olette with his thumb. “I was just trying to explain to this one the merits of giving the RV a new paint job.”

Olette simply rolled her eyes, but Roxas made a small noise of interest. “‘S that right?” He glanced at the vehicle and it’s fading facade. “And what would you suggest?”

“Don’t—“ Olette began, but Hayner cut her off.

“I’m thinking neon. Bright pink ‘n yellow ‘n shit,” Hayner said. “Make it look real... 80’s, ya know?”

Olette groaned but Roxas nodded, seeming to take the suggestion in stride. He considered it for a moment, then decided. “Alright.”

“You can’t be serious,” Axel heard himself say flatly.

“Thank you!” Olette agreed with an exasperated huff. Even Hayner seemed surprised.

“Wait, really?”

“Sure,” Roxas nodded and snuffed out the butt of his cigarette. Then, he gave Hayner a smile that was far too charming to be sincere. “But you’re paying for it outta your pocket.”

Olette burst out laughing while Hayner looked thoroughly betrayed. Axel himself couldn’t help the small grin that tugged at his face. The group carried on like that, with Hayner arguing the merits of a new paint job, while Roxas pretended to humor him, and Axel and Olette listened on with varying levels of amusement and exasperation.

They were interrupted when the camper door swung open and Pence emerged, carrying his laptop. The four quieted down immediately at his frazzled expression, and Roxas nodded his way. “What’s up?”

“Just got an email,” Pence replied. “It’s from Yuna.”

The name meant nothing to Axel, but it clearly did to the rest of them. Roxas stepped forward and took the laptop from Pence, reading over what Axel assumed to be the email.

“Is it about a job?” Olette asked, voice soft so as not to disturb Roxas’ reading. “Or... somethin’ else?”

“A job, maybe,” Pence replied. “Sounds uh, well...” he trailed off and nodded to Roxas, who was still looking at the screen with a pinched expression.

There was a beat of silence as the team waited, before Hayner finally nudged their boss. “C’mon man, don’t leave us hangin’.”

Roxas glanced around the group, then turned his eyes back down to the screen.

“Hello, team,” he began, reading slowly from the email. “I’m writing to you regarding confidential information from the Waldorf, Maryland’s Sheriff’s department, without express permission, so understand that I ask for the utmost discretion. I wouldn’t reach out if I didn’t think it necessary but... I believe our department may be in need of your team’s expertise.

“As of August 23rd, three people have gone missing in Charles County over the past two months, all three from the Smallwood State Park. None have returned and, in my digging, I have found that no less than 10 others have gone missing from surrounding counties over the past four months, all from state parks and nature preserves bordering the Potomac.”

Hayner frowned, incredulous. “Missing people? I mean, yeah okay that’s kind of a lot, but people DO go missing in state parks all the time.”

“But so many in such a short time and specific area?” Olette asked.

“And none have been found,” Axel chimed in. “Though, if I’m being honest, it sounds a little more like the work of a killer than... anything else.”

Roxas was quiet, expression still drawn tight, and the group waited for him to continue, which took a small nudge from Pence.

“A body was discovered on August 22nd. That of Caroline Zebrowsky, age 32, who went missing back in July. Upon discovery, her body showed no signs of decay, injury, or trauma, and said discovery along the bank of the river led officers to believe it a very recent drowning. However...” he paused and everyone, excluding Pence, leaned in a little, waiting with a mix of anticipation and morbid curiosity.

“However, when her body was opened for autopsy, her entire chest cavity was revealed to be flooded with water and showed signs of decomposition in line with a body that had sat in water for well over two months.”

Hayner made a strangled noise and grimaced while Olette sucked in a deep breath. Even Axel scrunched up his nose, doing his best _not_ to imagine what that must have been like for the poor soul performing the autopsy.

“I believe this is a case more suited to your expertise than the authorities. If you are willing, and able, I urge you to come investigate.

Yours, 

Yuna, Waldorf Forensic Scientist.”

“That ain’t right,” Hayner said once Roxas was finished reading, correct despite how much of an understatement it was.

“Yeah no kiddin’,” Pence nodded and took his laptop back from Roxas. “So, what do ya think, Boss?”

Roxas thought for a moment, then looked around at the team and gave a nod. “I think we should be packin’ up. Looks like we’re headed to Maryland.” Then, to Axel specifically. “Yer home turf.”


	7. Where River Meets Shore

Their trip didn’t take them directly to Waldorf. Considering the risks that naturally came with their profession, their contact apparently didn’t want to be seen openly associating with them, especially after they’d supplied the team with sensitive information. Axel could understand the logic.

Instead, they agreed to meet their contact - Yuna — just outside of the city, at an IHOP off Highway 301. The team crammed themselves into one of the round booths in the far corner where Axel found himself squished between Roxas and Olette. He watched with mild horror as Roxas ordered a coffee, then proceeded to pour a gallon of cream and sugar into it, until it no longer resembled the caffeinated beverage he had started with.

Their food arrived and a plate of hot eggs and bacon had just been placed in front of Axel, when a woman approached their table. She had brown hair that stopped just above her shoulders, and was accented with a single string of beads braided into a few strands. Her eyes were a blue-green hue and were warm when she smiled at the group. She wasted no time in plopping herself right into the booth with them.

“Hello, everyone,” she greeted.

“Yuna,” Roxas responded, barely looking up from his meal. He took a deep swig of his coffee, then nudged Axel with his elbow. “Axel, this is Yuna, our contact in Maryland. Forensic scientist in Waldorf. Yuna,” he motioned between the two with his mug. “This is Axel, our newest member.”

The woman’s eyes landed on Axel and she smiled, bright and warm. “Nice to meet you. Keeping Roxas out of trouble?”

Roxas snorted next to him, and Axel could just shrug in response.

“So,” Roxas took another gulp of coffee, then leaned forward, hands folded in front of himself on the table. “A dead body, hmm?”

Yuna glanced around to make sure no one heard, then leaned in as well, expression going dim. “That’s right. Only one recovered so far, but there’s been a slew of missing people from surrounding counties as of late. Not unusual for people to go missin’ in state parks, of course, but it’s been... a lot. And we usually recover more than we have by now. Dead or alive.”

“I take it you don’t think it’s some kind of killer on the loose?” Roxas asked.

“It’s an idea bein’ thrown around,” Yuna replied. “One even I was beginning’ to consider, ‘til Ms. Zebrowsky’s body was recovered.”

Roxas hummed in thought. “And what do the cops make of her.... _situation?_”

“They don’t. Can’t make heads or tails of it,” Yuna huffed out a laugh, though it sounded anything but amused. “They’re all trying to find some logical explanation for it. Saying it must be some super rare occurrence or somethin’. Not that I blame ‘em, I’d prolly be in the same boat a couple years ago.”

“By you think there’s more to it,” Olette piped up from across the table. It was more of a statement than a question, but Yuna nodded all the same.

“Yup. There’s just somethin’... somethin’ ain’t right about it all. Somethin’ in my gut that says this ain’t normal, and opening that body up myself? Well... Something’s wrong. Feels like... feels like three years ago, ya know?”

Axel didn’t know, of course, but the rest of the team seemed to understand what she meant.

“And I figure,” she continued. “If y’all agreed to come here, it’s probably a sign I ain’t wrong.”

“It’s intriguing, I’ll give ya that much,” Roxas replied. “I’m curious, at the very least.“

“So you’ll look into it?” Yuna asked, perking up a bit. Hopeful, perhaps.

“We will,” Roxas said, then paused. “But... I can’t promise ya anything, Yuna. We don’t have hardly anything to go on here other than some missing people, a strange cadaver, and a hunch. We’re here mostly cause you contacted us. It’s a rough start.”

Yuna frowned, but nodded. Their waitress returned but was quickly waved away, before Yuna blew out a breath. “I understand. I wish ya could guarantee me more ‘n that, but I get it.”

Pence leaned forward. “Is there anything else you can tell us? Anything at all that might point to sightings or a possible habitat or... whatever?”

Yuna was quiet for a moment, folding and tearing a paper napkin between her fingers as she thought. Then she stopped, as though an idea struck her. “The Potomac,” she said softly, almost to herself. Then, louder, “The Potomac river. The parks that people went missin’ from are all west of here, along the river.”

“That, coupled with the state of the body found, might mean we’re dealin’ with something aquatic,” Olette pointed out.

“It does,” Roxas agreed with a groan, dragging a hand down his face.

“That’s bad?” Axel asked softly, and he knew it was a stupid question the second it left his mouth.

“Imagine if the thing you saw in the woods suddenly knew how to swim,” Roxas replied flatly, and Axel grimaced.

“Yeah, that’s bad.”

“Still,” Pence interjected. “The Potomac’s huge. Even the stretch directly west is miles and miles to cover. Is there any way to narrow it down?”

Yuna just shook her head and gave the team a shrug. “I’m afraid I’ve told y’all all I know.”

Roxas sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s a start. Not a great one, but... a start. We’ll set up camp in Smallwood state park. That’s where you said the body was found?” A nod from Yuna. “That’s as good a place as any to stay then. I think.” 

He waved their waitress down as she passed by and asked for the check and some to-go boxes, clearly not wanting to wait around any longer than they had to. When said check arrived, the team threw in enough cash to cover the bill and tip before shuffling out of the booth and out the front doors.

Axel hung back a bit as the rest of the team ambled off towards their RV, which they’d parked at the far end of the lot, and he found Yuna doing much the same.

“How’d you get tied up in all this?” She asked, eyes still ahead of them, focused on the other four members, who were already bickering about something Axel couldn’t quite make out.

“Oh, uh... I was friends with Roxas as a kid. Ran into him a while ago when, uh...”

“When you saw something,” she concluded.

“Well... yeah,” Axel nodded. “I take it... you believe in, I dunno... monsters and... stuff?”

“And stuff,” she replied, chucking. “I didn’t used to, of course, ‘til I met them.” She nodded towards the team. “Met ‘em years ago, when I was workin’ down in North Carolina. Bunch of mysterious deaths started popping up. Bodies I examined were mauled by something... unidentifiable.” She grimaced at the memory. “I got a little too curious. Too invested. When progress wasn’t being made I... maybe went out to investigate myself.” 

Yuna rolled up her sleeves to reveal nasty mottled scars along her left forearm. It must have been an even nastier sight when fresh. “If the team hadn’t shown up, I probably would have been the next one on the autopsy table. These days I gotta tell people I was attacked by an animal. Not sure if monsters carry rabies, but I got treated for it just in case.”

Axel chuckled at that. He got banged up pretty good with his run in with a creature, but at least he hadn’t been bitten.

“Anyway,” Yuna dug into her pocket, where she pulled out a pen and a napkin she’d snatched from their table, and she spoke as she began to scribble on the makeshift paper. “I’ve told you all I know for now, but if ya need anything, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll do what I can.”

Axel took the paper and pocketed it. “Thank you, for uh... calling us?”

Yuna just snorted and gave him an apologetic smile. “Maybe don’t thank me ‘til you know what’s out there, and make it out. Hopefully unscathed.” Then, a little more somberly, “Y’all take care, y’hear?”

Axe nodded and watched as Yuna walked ahead to bid her farewells to the team, then drove off back to Waldorf.

The team loaded back into their respective vehicles; Hayner, Pence, and Olette in the RV, while Roxas rode shotgun in Axel’s car.

“You ready to go campin’?” He asked with a grin as he slid into the front seat. The withering look Axel shot him only made Roxas laugh. “No? Not a fan of the outdoors?”

“Not... particularly keen on the idea,” Axel replied as he started up the engine. “I haven’t been camping since I was a kid. Did my best to stay far away from the woods as an adult.”

Roxas hummed thoughtfully. “Well, ya know yer gonna have to get used to it. Most of our work takes place in the great outdoors, so to speak.” He leaned a little closer, with a sly grin. “Don’t worry, the bugs don’t bite... too hard.”

“Yeah?” Axel grinned in return, though he kept his eyes on the road as he pulled out of the parking lot behind the team’s RV. “And what about mouthy, blond haired rednecks?”

Roxas barked out a loud laugh and smacked Axel’s arm. “Just drive, city boy.”

-

Smallwood State Park was... quaint, Axel supposed. It wasn’t the grand, sprawling domain of nature like the Monongahela was, but its campsites were nestled under their own little canopy of trees, and it had access to the sprawling Potomac River. Axel was once again impressed with Hayner’s skill with the RV, as the man was able to back it into the small camping spot they’d rented with relative ease. Axel’s car and the red pickup - which had been towed behind the camper - were squeezed in together just a few feet away.

Roxas attempted to immediately scamper off to go scouting around the area, but Olette promptly grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him back to help set up camp. Not that there was much to do, but Olette wasn’t going to let Roxas out of helping with what work there was.

When camp was set, Roxas called for the team to gather round. “Alright, usual ground rules apply, but since we got ourselves a new member, let’s go over them.” He waited for a small affirmative from the other members, before he continued. “Rule one; everyone carries a walkie talkie with them at all times, no exceptions. Rule two; don’t go chasing shit alone. If you see something, you call for backup. Hell, even if you don’t see somethin’, but you feel like something’s off, call for backup. Trust yer gut. Rule three; if you get the call for backup, you go to help as soon as you can. Rule four; the safety of innocent civilians takes priority. And rule five; be a good Boy or Girl Scout. We’re here to investigate a potentially dangerous monster, not leave a trail of damage in our wake. We do the job right and no one will know we did anything here at all.”

The team all nodded their agreement, and Roxas fixed his gaze squarely on Axel. “Some special rules apply for you. For starters, you don’t go anywhere outside the RV alone. I want you with someone at all times.”

Annoyed at being singled out, Axel spoke up. “I can take care of myself.”

“And when it comes to brushing yer teeth and eating, and survivin’ in a big city, I believe ya,” Roxas replied. “Hell, if this were a regular camping trip, I’d believe ya. But it ain’t. We don’t know what’s out there, and yer new to this, so for now, you don’t hoof it alone.”

Roxas’ tone wasn’t harsh, but it was firm, and obvious he was in no mood to argue. And though annoyed, Axel didn’t.

“Now, Pence,” Roxas said, returning his attention to the team in full. “I want you lookin’ for any reports of strange sightings or events along this stretch of the river. Official reports, blogs, forums, anything. You know where to look.” Pence nodded in agreement, and Roxas moved to the next member. “Hayner, I want you lookin’ into those missing people. Get whatever report you can. I want to rule out for certain any man-made explanations. Olette, I want you scouting the woods around here. There’s a number of hiking trails as well as densely wooded areas, and I want you lookin’ for any signs of somethin’... off. Yer a friendly face, so it wouldn’t hurt if you could get a word in with any other folk you come across.”

“Can do,” Olette nodded. That left just one member without an assignment.

“And... me?” Axel ventured to ask.

Roxas thought for a moment, then shot Axel a grin. “Tonight, yer with me. We’re goin’ to scout the river.”

———

A half hour trek through the woods — _“C’mon Axel, it’s shorter than walking the trail!” _— and Axel found Roxas and himself standing by the edge of the Potomac River. The late evening sun bounced off the water in red and amber hues as it sank towards the horizon beyond the river and trees. Dragonflies buzzed over the surface of the river and crickets sang in the distance. Axel watched the water drift lazily by as he followed Roxas up along its banks.

“So,” Axel finally said, breaking the quiet that had settled between them. “You really think something’s out there in that water?”

Ahead of him, Roxas hummed and turned over an old log with his boot. “Potomac’s a big river. I imagine a lot o’ stuff is out there.”

Axel leveled a flat look at the back of Roxas’ head. “I meant something... paranormal or whatever.”

“So did I.”

Axel rolled his eyes. He was sure Roxas knew damn well what he meant. He was just teasing Axel. 

“I _mean_ do you think there’s something out there actively hunting people in the area?”

“Ah,” Roxas said slowly, as though he was only just beginning to understand what Axel was asking. “Well, now that’s hard to say. Like I said back at the restaurant, I think it’s a possibility. But who knows. We’ll just have to wait and see if we find anything.”

Axel looked back towards the water. “If there is something out there, you really think it’s smart to be this close to the water?”

Finally, Roxas glanced back at him with a grin. “I mean, you can still swim, can’tcha?”

Axel scoffed. “Oh! Oh sure of course,” he retorted sarcastically, and waved his hand out in the direction of the river. “I can’t _totally_ out-swim whatever monstrosity lives in the fucking _Potomac!”_

Roxas just laughed and continued his slow amble up the shoreline. Axel followed. He watched as Roxas picked his way up the line of sandy mud that met water and dense reeds, whose tallest stalks reached his hips. 

Axel wasn’t sure what exactly Roxas was looking for. Well, he did to some extent: signs of a monster. Axel just wasn’t sure what those signs were. Tracks? Markings? Hair? Axel could only follow along a bit aimlessly.

He paused to look back out across the water. The sun had dipped low, sinking behind the barrier of the trees, while the moon made its own slow ascent. Fireflies — and things pretending to be such — darted just above the rippling waters. Just like the forest clearing in West Virginia, the river's edge was brimming with life, both seen and unseen to the naked eye. Idly, Axel thought Roxas would have a heyday if he could glimpse what Axel saw.

And speaking of the other man, Axel looked around to find Roxas gone.

Despite his meager protests at being able to take care of himself earlier, Axel felt his stomach clench at the notion of suddenly being quite alone by the water’s edge. He looked around, peering in the quickly fading light for any sign of his blond friend.

“Roxas?” He called, though his voice was soft, stuck in his throat. A ripple in the water caught his attention and his head whipped to the side to look at the river, now dark and ominous in the twilight. Remembering they were hunting for something in the water, Axel’s heart sank.

Without thinking, Axel bolted towards the spot he’d last seen Roxas, yards ahead and close to the water’s edge. “_Roxas!_” he yelled, voice cracking with worry.

He had to skid to a stop when the man in question popped up from where he’d been crouched down in a patch of tall reeds by the river, obscured by their height and the dim light.

“Jesus _what?_” he hissed, looking somewhere between startled and exasperated by Axel.

Axel panted, out of breath more from sudden panic than his short burst of movement, and looked Roxas up and down.

“Don’t... fucking try to _scare_ me like that!” He shot at the blond. “It’s bad enough you think I can’t take care of myself, I don’t need you thinking I’m a coward and trying to spook me!” It was an unfair accusation, and Axel knew it. Roxas didn’t look at all like a man who’d just tried to prank his friend, but Axel’s fear had flipped to embarrassment then anger in such a flash, he needed to let it out somewhere.

For his part, Roxas was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes narrowed and he peered at Axel quietly. Finally, he slowly spoke, “First of all, I reckon I don’t gotta _try_ to scare you. You seem perfectly capable of spookin’ yerself. Furthermore,” Roxas paused to extract himself from the foliage he’d been apparently rummaging through. He then dug into his pockets and pulled out his cigarettes. Axel watched as he lit up, vaguely remembering how they’d been told smoking wasn’t allowed in the park upon their entry. Axel couldn’t really bring himself to care, and he doubted he’d win that argument anyway if he tried.

Roxas blew out a puff of smoke and finally continued. “We’re looking for somethin’ potentially dangerous here. Don’t ya think maybe you ought be a little scared?” 

“You’re not,” Axel replied quietly, suddenly deflated. “Scared, I mean. The rest of the team’s not either.”

At that, Roxas just snorted. “Sure we are. Least a little, ya know?” Axel shot him an incredulous look. “Just cause we’ve done this countless times doesn’t mean we aren’t worried about the possibilities. I mean... look, you think firemen aren’t worried every time they go into a burnin’ building?”

Axel had to concede, Roxas had a point there.

“Look, Axel,” Roxas took a deep drag of his cigarette. “We don’t need you to not be scared. This shit’s scary, and caution is a good thing when yer new to it all. We just need you to act ‘n do the right thing if and when the time comes, despite bein’ afraid, okay?”

Axel still felt a bit like the odd man out. Like he was perhaps more of a hindrance to the team than help. But he nodded anyway. “Yeah.”

There was a splash and a loud screech, followed by laughter, and the two men swiveled their heads to see where it came from. Yards away, a group of teens had decided to take a nighttime swim in the waters of the Potomac. Next to him, Roxas sighed.

“I am scared, for what it's worth,” he said. “Scared of what could happen to innocent folks if the things we chase are left to run amuck.” Without waiting for a response, Roxas stalked off towards the teens and began to berate them about swimming not being allowed and how _“there’s cottonmouths in that water!”_

Axel chuckled a little at the tiff that ensued, then turned to look back at the rippling water next to him. The reflection of a full moon danced on the water’s surface, shockingly bright against the inky black waves. It was beautiful, Axel thought, and he found himself staring, lulled into a calm he hadn’t felt the entire day.

He didn’t even hear Roxas return, only noticing the other man’s presence when a hand clapped him on the shoulder.

“Welp, I’m gettin’ hungry,” he said. Axel looked down at them, then off to where the teens had been swimming to see that Roxas had successfully shooed them off. “Let’s get back to camp and see if dinner’s ready.”


	8. Water's Call

The days continued on slowly. Axel had – quite mistakenly – expected things to pick up. For them to find a monster or, well, _something_. Instead, he felt very much the same as he had back at the cabin. Useless and unsure what he was doing, but equally unsure what the team was doing, or if they had any solid plan.

Unlike at the cabin where Roxas had seemed set on chasing Axel away, now he kept him on a tight leash. More often than not, Axel was assigned to help either Pence or Hayner, which really meant Axel watched uselessly as the other men tried to explain what they were doing.

Axel read reports and rumors with Pence until his eyes crossed. He was never sure what sounded like a lead and what sounded like a dead end, meaning Pence still had to read over much of what Axel came across. When he apologized for slowing Pence down, the man had just smiled and assured him Axel had to learn to do it somehow, and he’d eventually get the hang of it. It was little comfort.

He felt even more useless with Hayner, who was tasked with sifting through official reports, many of which Axel wasn’t even sure how he’d managed to access behind their red tape.

“I don’t know how you understand any of this,” Axel sighed, setting down the report he’d been trying to read over. Something about a missing person; a wanted man who’d been crossing state lines and evading arrest until one day he vanished from his motel room in Maryland. That much Axel could understand, but the extent of the man’s outstanding charges had made his eyes go crossed.

Hayner just shrugged, tossing aside a report he apparently found useless. “Ya get used to it,” he replied. Unhelpful.

Lastly, Axel read up on any aquatic monster or urban legend he could find. Everything from sirens, to kelpies, to La Llorona. All equally horrifying in their ability to drown their victims, and unhelpful to a team that had no leads to go on.

What Axel wasn’t tasked with was helping Roxas and Olette, unless it was around the camp: cooking, cleaning, maintenance on the truck or RV. 

He wasn’t allowed to join them on their scouting around the area.

Axel had even _asked_ to join one of them, despite his continued dislike of the woods. He was tired of feeling useless around camp. Maybe he could be helpful with one of them on the trail! At the very least, he could use a change of scenery to be useless in.

Olette seemed amenable to the idea, but Roxas shut him down every time, telling him he needed to help out around camp. Which meant another day of Axel being dead weight. It was grating on his nerves and Axel was frustrated with himself most of all. He wasn’t being helpful, he was in the way! If anything, he was slowing the team down.

And Roxas was no help, keeping him shackled to camp, like Axel needed some kind of babysitter or something. So much for his big talk on being brave and doing the right thing when he was so damn determined on keeping a leash on Axel. He’d been willing to take Axel out their first night there. What had changed? Was it a test Axel had failed?

Still, Axel tried.

“You going out again this evening?”

Roxas was busy looking over a map of the area which had been spread out on the picnic table. He had marked off certain spots on the map and was making notes along the side. “That’s the plan,” he replied. Not even bothering to look up from his work.

“I could come with you-“

“Nope,” Roxas interrupted, effectively shutting him down. “Olette needs your help.”

Axel perked up at that. “I’m going scouting with Olette?”

From where she was taking a break in a camp chair, Olette piped up. “I ain’t scouting tonight. It’s my turn to make dinner and meal prep for the coming week.”

Axel scoffed. “I helped Pence do that last week!”

“That’s progress,” Roxas replied, and while he still didn’t look up from his work, Axel saw the smug smile on his face. “Soon you’ll be doing it yerself instead of helping someone.”

“I don’t need to apprentice meal prepping, Roxas,” Axel huffed.

“Well, then maybe it’ll be your turn to do it yourself next week. But tonight, you help Olette.”

“_Or,_ I could actually be helpful and come scouting with you,” Axel said, irritation from the past few days bubbling just below the surface.

“Believe I already said no, Axel,” Roxas replied curtly, though a tinge of irritation was obvious in his own voice.

Axel pushed. “Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“That wasn’t a good answer when my mom used it when I was ten, and it’s not a good answer now.” Axel folded his arms over his chest.

Roxas’ gaze flickered up to him, then back down to his map. “Good thing I don’t owe you a better explanation.”

“Why can’t I come with you?”

“You don’t know what you’re doing out there.”

“Then _teach_ me!” Axel snapped. “I can’t know what I’m doing if you never let me learn!”

Finally, Roxas looked up from the map and fixed Axel with an irritated look. “You haven’t even been able to learn what you’re doing around here with Pence or Hayner, but you think you’d be useful out in the woods? Don’t make me fuckin’ laugh.”

“I’m _trying!_” And oh he had been trying. The confirmation that you pass thought Axel was as useless as he felt only pissed him off more. “Maybe I’d be better at helping scout! You have to let me try!”

Roxas barked out a sharp laugh. “You still jump at yer own shadow in camp when the sun goes down! You really think you’d be better out in the middle of the woods?”

“I’m doing my _best_, Roxas!”

“And how’s that going?”

“Not well, no thanks to you!”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “It ain’t _my_ fault that somewhere is the past decade you became as fragile as a leaf! I don’t need ya running off into the woods like some little Red Ridin’ Hood who's gonna get her ass eaten by something much, much worse than a wolf!” With a huff, Roxas folded up the map, and gathered up his backpack.

“Keep yer ass in camp, _Axel_.” He pointed an accusatory finger, and Axel bit back the biting remark he was oh-so tempted to make. “And try to make yerself useful to someone.” He turned to the other’s, who had been watching the exchange silently. “I’m goin’ out again. Radio if ya need anything.”

Without waiting for a response, Roxas was gone, storming off to go scouting once again. Axel watched, jaw muscles working and hands clenched into fists. When he turned to look at the others, he found them staring back at him.

“_What?_” he barked, knowing full well they didn’t deserve his ire. The two men went back to work, Pence scurrying away in a hurry while Hayner did so with a roll of his eyes.

Olette just sighed and stood from her camp chair. “C’mon, Axel. We really _do_ have work to do, and I’ll appreciate yer help.”

Begrudgingly, Axel obliged.

———

Meal prepping with Olette wasn’t the worst thing. Truth be told, Axel liked cooking. It was something he did at home to relax, and Olette was pleasant company which made chopping vegetables a more enjoyable experience.

Still, irritation simmered just under his skin, ready to ignite the moment something went wrong.

Or when a certain blond deigned to rejoin them.

Axel was outside the RV, tying up a trash bag when the crunch of gravel beneath feet caught his attention. He’d been thinking about what he wanted to say to Roxas for the last few hours, and assuming it was said companion, Axel swung around, ready to give him a piece of his mind.

He stopped short when he was met by an old park ranger, dark skin, wrinkled with age and offset by the stark white of his beard. The man seemed just as startled by Axel whipping around to confront him as Axel was to see him there.

“Oh! Uh... hi, sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

The Ranger just nodded and tipped his hat back a bit. “That’s alright, son. Name’s Morrison. You lot enjoying yer camping?”

Behind him, Axel heard the RV door open, no doubt the others peeking out to see who their visitor was.

“Uh, yeah, it’s nice out here. Weather’s perfect for camping,” Axel replied.

Olette walked up next to him, offering the Ranger a sweet smile. “Can we help ya with something, sir?”

Ranger Morrison looked over the small group, eyes scanning each face, before he shrugged. “Just checkin’ up on all our guests today.”

Axel nodded slowly, eyeing the Ranger. “Something wrong, sir?”

Ranger Morrison was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. “Just here to remind y’all to be careful out here. Make sure yer fires aren’t left unattended and whatnot. And if y’all go hiking, do me a favor and stick together. Bears are out right now, and they’re aggressive when preparing for hibernation.” 

Axel wasn’t entirely sure that was true. And he wasn’t sure that was the reason the Ranger wanted people sticking together.

“That's the only reason? Bears?” he pushed.

“The woods can always be dangerous, son,” the man replied. “Easy to get lost, or hurt. Best to be careful. Just... do me a favor and stick together.”

“We will, sir,” Olette interjected before Axel could pry further. “Thank you.”

Ranger Morrison looked over the group once again, quiet and thoughtful, before he nodded. “Alright. If y’all need anything, don’t hesitate to radio our outpost. Hope y’all enjoy your trip.”

With a wave, the man turned and walked away, leaving the group to watch as he disappeared down the road.

“That was weird,” Hayner finally broke the silence once the man was out of sight.

Axel hummed. “I’m assuming rangers don’t normally do check-ups on campers like that?”

“Not really,” Pence said from where he was leaning in the RV’s doorway. “If I had to take a wild guess, they’re probably spooked by the disappearance going on ‘round here. Wanna keep tallies on folks without worrying them.”

Axel hummed in response, eyes still locked on where the Ranger had left. His companions all returned to their work, and Axel attempted the same, but something bothered him. A niggling feeling that scratched at the back of his mind and kept him from concentrating. His gaze flicked back to the trial multiple times, before he made up his mind.

“Olette,” he said, grabbing the woman’s attention as he set his work down. “I’m gonna go talk to him. I wanna see if he knows anything.”

Olette looked surprised for a moment and Axel braced for her refusal, but then her expression warmed into a soft — if not conspiratorial — smile. “Okay,” she chuckled and nodded in the direction where the Ranger went. “Go ahead, I won’t tell Roxas. Promise.”

Axel blew out a small breath, relieved she was willing to let him off his leash unsupervised.

“You’re a peach,” he chuckled, then not wanting to waste time, he jogged off down the road where the man had gone. Fortunately, Ranger Morrison hadn’t made it far, and Axel’s long legs allowed him to catch up just a few campsites down. He was clearly surprised to see Axel hurrying towards him.

“Can I help you, son?” he asked, equal parts wary and concerned.

“I’d like to talk with you about something, if that’s okay,” Axel said after he’d taken a moment to catch his breath. He glanced at the busy campsite behind the Ranger, then nodded in the direction of the road. “Preferably uh... you know...”

Ranger Morrison raised a brow, but nodded. “Alright, walk with me.”

Together, the two men continued on down the trail, away from the occupied campsites. They were both silent, the sound of crunching gravel under their feet the only thing between them.

Only once they were well away from the campers and had a bit of privacy did Axel break the quiet, clearing his throat. “You’re worried about the missing people, aren’t you?” he asked, getting straight to the point instead of trying to dance around it.

Ranger Morrison peered over at Axel under raised brows. “Know about those, do ya?”

Axel nodded. Stuffing his hands into his pockets as they continued their slow walk down the trail. “I do. I’m a journalist, actually so... I know a little more than the average citizen.” A half truth. Ranger Morrison didn’t need to know Axel had gotten that info under the table, or that his group was here _because_ of the disappearances.

“You doing a story on them or what?”

“Not really.” Axel shook his head. “Just curious about them, mostly. Wish I could be, I dunno... helpful somehow.”

Ranger Morrison just grunted, so Axel continued.

“You don’t... happen to have any ideas do you? Or, I don’t know, seen anything weird around here? Anything at all, even if it’s something you didn’t feel necessary to tell the police?” He was pushing his luck prying, but he hoped he sounded sincere. He *was* sincere. 

Ranger Morrison looked him up and down again from the corner of his eye, then sighed. “Son, there really ain’t much to tell. I ain’t seen anything weird or suspicious ’round here. Just-“

He stopped, and Axel waited, watching the man’s face as he thought. He seemed to be mulling over something, so after another minute of waiting, Axel pressed.

“Just...?”

The older man sighed and looked up to the canopy of branches above them. The leaves had completely swapped their green hues for bright red and orange ones. Many had already fallen, and the sky above peaked through the emptying branches. Pale blue with a tint of yellow, to signal the sun had begun its slow descent back towards the horizon.

“What’s yer name, son?”

“Axel, Sir.”

“Axel. Hmm well, Axel, I been working as a Ranger since I was fresh outta school. Been my job since I was eighteen, and I’ve known these woods even longer, having grown up here.”

Axel nodded, but said nothing.

“That’s all to say I know these woods inside ‘n out. You start to get a real sense of them. You know their patterns, how the woods act and behave. The way you might know yer own home. How it feels. And when something, even small, is wrong.”

“So you... feel like something’s wrong?” Axel asked. “With the forest?”

“It’s just a feeling, son. Don’t read too much into it but... yes. Somethin’ ain’t right around here as of late. Nothin’ I can point my finger on, and certainly nothin’ worth tellin’ the cops. Maybe it’s the light. Maybe it’s the air.” Ranger Morrison let out a sigh that carried all his weight and exhaustion and anxieties. “I don’t know.”

The trees around them parted and the river came into view. Its waves rippled and glistened in the sun, reflecting the warming sky on its surface.

“All I know is that my old bones feel like something's wrong with these woods,” Morrison continued. “And with the disappearances, well...”

“I see.” Axel nodded. It really wasn’t much to go on. It certainly wasn’t proof of anything. But, perhaps it was at least a sign that they were on the right trail of... something more supernatural in nature.

Before Axel could ask anything else, Ranger Morrison stopped short, and made a small, disheartened grunt. When Axel turned to face him, he saw the man’s gaze was not on Axel, but in the distance over his shoulder.

Turning again, Axel followed the ranger’s gaze out to the edge of the river. A young woman stood alone, ankle deep in the water as she stared out at the current. She was motionless, save for her sandy blond hair which was tousled in the breeze.

Next to him, Ranger Morrison let out a deep, tired sigh.

“Know her?” Axel ventured, eyes never leaving the solitary woman.

“Not personally, no,” he replied. “Just... she comes ‘round a lot these days.” Axel tore his gaze away from the woman to give Ranger Morrison a curious look. The man fidgeted under his gaze a little, then sighed again before he continued in a hush tone. “I’m sure you heard about the woman who showed up recently? Missing victim... what washed up on the shore ‘n all.”

Axel nodded. Oh, he knew alright.

Ranger Morrison grunted, then motioned back out to the lone woman. “She was ‘er friend. Was leading the search for her ‘n everything. Used to be real busy combing these woods ‘n askin’ questions. Now...” the Ranger trailed off, but Axel understood. He turned his attention back out to the woman, and his heart ached for her.

He took a step towards her, then paused. “Thank you,” he finally said, after a beat of silence. “For uh, answering my questions. And... I guess for doing what you can to keep people safe.”

Ranger Morrison was quiet for a moment, as he eyed Axel. But finally, he nodded, taking the hint. “I do what I can. Ya’ll watch out for each other, you ‘n yer lot, ya hear?”

Axel gave him a nod, and with that, Ranger Morrison continued on his way, leaving Axel behind. Axel watched him go, then took a deep breath to steel himself, before he carefully made his way out towards the edge of the river and the woman standing there. He thought his footsteps against the rocky ground would have alerted her to his presence, but she didn’t move.

When he was just a few feet away, Axel stopped and waited to see if she’d take notice. When still she didn’t, he cleared his throat. “Um, excuse me?”

The woman jumped, finally breaking from her otherwise motionless state. She whipped her head around and Axel was pinned with her wide-eyed stare. She had deep brown eyes, which were punctuated by the dark circles beneath them. She looked like she hadn’t slept in years. Axel knew the feeling.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said and held his hands up, to show he wasn’t a threat.

The woman looked him up and down with a guarded expression. “Can I help you?” She asked in a voice that sounded raw, but unwavering.

“I uh...” Axel paused, debating the right thing to say. He was sorry? Was she okay? Did she need help? What was wrong? They all sounded so... forced in his head. Fake. And the longer the woman stared at him, the more all those lines sounded patronizing. Best to be straightforward.

“I heard about your friend. I’m sorry,” her gaze hardened and Axel quickly added, “and I’m sure you’ve heard that plenty by now and it’s probably not helping. I just-“ a deep breath. “I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

The woman huffed out a terse laugh. “Yeah? And who are you?”

“My name’s Axel. I’m a journalist. Now, I’m not looking to do a story on this or your friend or... anything like that. There’s just been some... disappearances lately, as... you’re aware.” The woman watched him with a hard stare, but let him continue. “I’m just... hoping to maybe learn a little more about what might be going on.”

“I’ve already answered a million and one questions for the police. Told ‘em everything I know.” Axel could hear the slight sneer in her voice. “Why should I tell you anything? What good would it do? You think _you_ can figure out what happened before the cops or somethin’?”

“No,” Axel shook his head. “But I know some people who might. But more importantly I... know what it’s like to give statements to the police. It’s not fun. And... I dunno. I guess, instead of an interrogation, would you like a chance to just... tell your story?”

The woman looked him up and down appraisingly, but slowly she seemed to soften. “My name’s Eva,” she finally said. “Carrie — Caroline — was my best friend.”

“I heard you’ve been out here leading the search groups.”

“Yeah I...” Eva paused and chewed on her lower lip, hands fiddled with the zipper of her hoodie. “I guess... I mean, she was my best friend. It’s what I’d do anyway but... I kinda feel like I owe it to her too. I... should have done something sooner. Maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Done something sooner?” Axel echoed. “I wouldn’t blame yourself, it’s not like you could have predicted her going missing so suddenly.”

“Suddenly?” Eva had turned her attention back out to the water, but at that, her gaze snapped right back up to Axel. “It wasn’t sudden. Not really... it started two or three months before she went missin’.”

That took him aback. All Axel had known until then was that Caroline had gone missing back in July, and had been found roughly a month after. “Started?”

“Yeah,” Eva nodded. “We came camping here back in April, I think? Early May, maybe? Me, Carrie, and some other friends. She started acting weird after that.”

“Weird how?”

“She became... I dunno, obsessed with coming to the river?” Eva glanced back out towards the water, eyes narrowed as though it were the river’s fault. Maybe, in a way it was. “She was camping every weekend. Sometimes here, sometimes at other parks. I think she even trespassed into places once or twice. I started to get worried when I learned she wasn’t just going out on weekends, but taking time off work to do it.”

“Did you... talk to her about it?” Axel questioned. “Ask her why she was doing it?”

“Of course I did!” The woman shot back, then softened, murmuring a small apology. “I did ask.”

“And?”

Eva paused and took a deep breath. “She said... she felt drawn to the water. Said it was calling her and she... I dunno, _needed_ to be there. Here.” She shook her head. “She told me of this dream she kept having. Carrie said she had it every night and she was convinced it meant something.”

That certainly piqued Axel’s interest. “Did she tell you what the dream was?”

Eva blew out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through her blond hair, messy and windswept. “It was, let’s see... something about a... _thing_ in the water? A big, white shape that followed her. Called to her. She said it was — oh, what did she call it... the leviathan, I think? It sounded like make believe and nonsense at the time. Still sorta does...”

Axel felt a cold shiver run down his spine. “I... see,” he replied, doing his best to sound unfazed by the statement. _Leviathan_.

Eva too was silent for a moment, tired eyes gazing out towards the rippling waters. Late evening cast everything into a deep reddish-purple hue, and on the horizon Axel could see the sliver of a crescent moon making its ascent.

“They think she killed herself,” Eva finally said, soft voice just barely breaking the silence. “They think she had... I dunno, some kinda mental break or somethin’ and... yeah.”

Cautiously, Axel prodded. “And you don’t think so?”

“I dunno.” She shrugged one shoulder uselessly. “I guess it’s the only thing that makes sense with what I told ‘em. But... it doesn’t feel right, ya know?” At that, she looked back at Axel, and he could see the pleading, questioning look into her eyes.

“I do,” he replied honestly. Nothing _felt_ right about any of it. Not to anyone paying attention. “I know what you mean.”

Eva didn’t look relieved at that. Nor did she look further upset. She simply looked tired. Sad.

“Look,” Axel said after a beat of silence. “You’re free to do what you want, so... feel free to tell me to piss off, but... go home. Your friend obsessively returned to the water until something took her – be it herself or something else. Don’t let that happen to you too. I... I don’t think she’d want that.”

Eva stared at him for a stretch, quiet as she scanned his face, emotions dancing behind her eyes, and Axel could only imagine the quiet storm inside her.

A last glance out towards the water, and finally she conceded. “Yeah... yeah you’re probably right.”

Axel blew out a sigh of relief, and offered Eva a small smile. “C’mon, it’s getting dark. Can I walk you to your car? Or the parking lot at least?”

“Sure,” Eva nodded and returned the small smile. “But I carry mace these days. Just so you know.”

“Noted,” Axel chuckled, and the two finally retreated from the darkening waters of the Potomac.

The hike back to the public parking lot wasn’t long, though it took them back through the dense trees. All the while, Eva regaled Axel with stories of her passed friend, and the trouble they used to get into. Laughter and tears mixed together. They reached the lot, and Eva’s car, and she paused as she opened the door.

“Thanks, um, Axel right? Thank you for uh... talking to me, and listening to me, I guess.”

“Oh, yeah no problem. Thanks for being willing to talk.”

Eva hummed in thought and took one last long look in the direction they came. Where the river lay just beyond the wall of trees. “I don’t really know what I’m gonna do without her,” she said softly. “Don’t really know what someone means to ya ‘til they’re gone, and all that.” With a heavy sigh, she gave Axel one last little smile. “Take care of yerself, ya hear?”

Wishing her the same, Axel watched as Eva climbed into her car and pulled out of the parking lot. The dense trees quickly swallowed the red glow of her tail lights, and Axel was left alone.

The warmth and bittersweet company Eva had offered was sunk into the darkness along with her car, and the oppressive isolation of the woods filled the void.

Oh God, he was alone.

Axel hasn’t meant to be out as long or as late as he was, and the reality of his situation all but bowled him over.

“Okay, Axel, you can do this,” he said to himself, hands flexing at his sides as he looked around. The lot was lit with the orange glow of street lights, but just beyond them, the tree line went dark. Very dark. “You can do this. You just gotta make your way back to the river, and from there you can follow the trail back to camp. Easy!” A deep breath. “Easy.”

Axel stepped to the edge of the parking lot, then out into the grass where the light began to fade. He pulled out his phone and turned on its flashlight to illuminate his way. The bright, cold-white light lit up the trees in a glow far less comforting than the warm lights of the parking lot, but better than the pitch black the woods offered.

He and Eva hadn’t taken a trail to the lot, instead opting to cut through the trees, but it wasn’t a long trek. And Axel was sure they’d come from this direction. If he went in a straight line, he’d be right back at the river in no time. From there, he could hop right back onto the trail and book it back to camp.

With a deep breath, and one last nervous look around, Axel stepped into the dense trees. His little bubble of light seemed to shrink as the foliage kept it from illuminating more than a couple feet in front of him.

As Axel cautiously traipsed through the trees, leaves and twigs crunching beneath him with every step, he began to remember just how loud a late summer night in the woods could be. All around him, crickets and cicadas had come to life, buzzing and humming and chirping in the darkness. They’d be gone soon, many migrated or dead in less than a month’s time. But for now they sang.

Leaves rustled above as the evening breeze ruffled their branches, and something far, far off in the distance let out a distinct howl. It was likely of no threat to Axel, but it gave him pause nonetheless.

After a bit more wandering, the small bit of resolve Axel had built up began to leak away. He paused once or twice, second guessing himself. He should have reached the river by now, right? It wasn’t *that* long of a hike through the woods. Had he actually gone the wrong way? Perhaps. Or more likely, instead of walking a straight line, he’d veered off to the left or right a little, unable to tell he was doing so in the dark.

Finally coming to a stop, Axel decided to turn around. He’d go back to the parking lot and reorient, then try again. 

So, he did just that. Only, Axel didn’t make it back to the lot. He didn’t make it back *anywhere* as far as he could tell. He was still stuck somewhere in the dense knot of trees. 

A nervous lump settled in his belly, he’s y and cold, and suddenly the woods seemed much denser, much louder. Much darker. Like the trees were closing in on him. Again, Axel did an about-face and started walking, faster this time. If he just kept walking, just kept going, he was bound to find something or someone eventually, right?

A look at his phone revealed he had very little reception. His pride at not wanting to call Roxas or the other team members was rapidly fading, but it seemed that wouldn’t be an option to him anyway. And, of course, he’d wandered off without a walkie talkie.

Axel cursed under his breath, and his pace quickened. Sticks and branches slapped at his legs and scratched at his arms as he began to tear through them. Something — a root or a branch — caught his foot and he nearly went sprawling into the foliage. He managed to right himself, but his phone went tumbling into the leaves.

“_Shit_,” Axel hissed under his breath. He scrambled to retrieve his phone back up from where it had fallen into the foliage below, its still-glowing light thankfully leading him to it. He snatched up the device and looked for any signs of damage. Luckily, aside from some dirt he easily wiped away, it looked unharmed.

Axel didn’t have much time to be relieved however, as there was a small snap from somewhere behind him. A twig crushed beneath someone — or something’s — foot. 

He froze, phone clutched tightly in his hands and eyes glued on his glowing screen, though not really paying attention to the device at all.

Somewhere — still distant, but too close for comfort — there was a rustling. Something pushing through the dense brush. Axel spun around, phone held up to illuminate what little he could with its light.

There was nothing. _Of course there was nothing._

He was ready to call out if someone was there, but stopped. He remembered last time he’d found himself lost and alone in the woods. He didn’t want a repeat of that. _God_ he didn’t want a repeat of that. 

Axel scanned the trees around him. He did his best to remain as quiet as possible, though it was hard to keep his breathing in check. His pulse raced and he felt ready to hyperventilate.

Another shuffle of leaves somewhere off in the dark, and Axel spun to face where he thought he’d heard it. He weighed the idea of turning off his light. Giving... _whatever_ was out there less chance to spot him. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Couldn’t muster up the courage to plunge himself into pitch darkness.

Another shuffle in the brush and then... and then something was moving his way. Axel sucked in a sharp breath at the distinct sound of footsteps heading towards him. He stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. Should he run? 

He stepped backwards a foot and looked around, shining his phone light in search of any kind of easy opening in the thick foliage he could run through.

The crack of another branch drew him back and he spun to shine the light in the direction of the noise. Two eyes stared back at him, reflecting the glow from his light and looking like two pale moons in the darkness. He saw it only for a second as the shock sent him stumbling back, flailing and making a sound he was, in hindsight, not entirely proud of.

“Hey! _Hey!_” A woman’s voice called out from the dark. “Axel, it’s just me!”

Axel fumbled with the phone in his hands — which he’d nearly sent flying — until he could bring the light back up to inspect the newcomer.

Olette stepped slowly out of the trees, one hand up to shield her eyes. Axel took one look at her and immediately let out a long, shaky breath, followed by a weak, near hysterical laugh.

“Olette!”

She waved with her free hand for him to lower his light, which Axel did. “Glad I found you, we were startin’ to get worried about ya back at camp.”

“Ah, I-i see,” Axel chuckled. God he was glad to see her. “Roxas sent you to fetch me?”

Olette gave him a small smile. “He wasn’t back yet by the time I left to find ya. I was kinda hopin’ I could get ya home before he returned.” She added a small wink for emphasis, before her expression went serious. “But, are you okay? Ya look a bit... frazzled.”

“Just, uh,” Axel sucked in a deep breath and let it out, deflating a bit as he did so. “Just got myself spooked, is all. Got lost and scared and... yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling rather foolish. “I just haven’t been a big... fan of the woods for a long time. And after what happened back at the cabin... I just got scared is all.”

Olette nodded in understanding. “Well, can’t really fault ya for that. But, you are gonna have to get used to it if you wanna roll with us.” She chuckled and slipped the backpack she’d been carrying off her shoulders. “Though, it might help if you were a _little_ better equipped.” She dug into the backpack and procured a walkie talkie, which Axel has foolishly left at the camp. She also pulled out a large flashlight, presumably something much more effective than his phone. Axel gladly took them both.

“Got a couple more things for ya,” Olette said and dug back into the backpack. She produced a multi-tool, a compass, a wilderness GPS, and a rather large survival knife, which Axel took a bit hesitantly. Glancing into her bag, he could see it was packed with more supplies and tools — she looked more prepared for actual wilderness survival, than a simple hike through the woods.

“What all have you got in there?” Axel asked.

“Oh, all kinda of goodies,” Olette replied, and held her bag up to Axel, inviting him to get a closer look. While not completely stuffed, the backpack was filled with a variety of gear and survival equipment. Axel dug through it a little, examining a pair of binoculars and what appeared to be a portable shovel that collapsed and folded up for easy carry. Eventually, he pulled out a long, thin tube and examined its yellow and red labels and fire warnings.

“Fireworks?” He asked.

Olette shook her head. “A safety flare. Used for warnin’ or as a distress signal. They burn bright so they can be seen from great distances, and can stay burnin’ for up to an hour. They’ll stay lit even in the rain or under water.”

“Got’cha. Super prepared, huh?” He made to put the flare back into the bag, but Olette stopped him.

“Why don’t you hold on to it?”

Axel looked back up at Olette and searched her face in the dim light to make sure he’d heard correctly. Seeing his confusion, Olette continued.

“Look, I get it, yer scared out here. And that’s okay. This is all very new to you, and yer still recovering from what happened back at the cabin. And hell, this stuff _is_ scary.” She chuckled, and Axel was reminded of what Roxas had said to him just two days prior. “You’ll get used to all... _this_, eventually. Until then, carry that with ya. Little bit of extra courage in fire form.” She gave adel a wink and zipped up her backpack. “Now, let’s get ya back to camp.”

On their way back, Olette went over some basic navigations skills — things Roxas had completely failed to teach him on their brief outing together. Specifically, she showed him how to use the GPS navigator, since he’d probably be relying on it the most. Together, they used it to trek back to the RV, which was a wholly welcome sight.

What wasn’t so welcome was Roxas standing there with a nervous looking Pence and Hayner. His arms were folded over his chest, and Axel couldn’t help the feeling of being a kid caught in the act of doing something he wasn’t supposed to when Roxas turned to face them.

“Just gettin’ back, are ya?” He asked, peering at the two, cigarette clenched between his lips. “Where ya been?”

“Oh,” Olette stepped up. “You know, I thought Axel could do with a bit of a lesson in navigating. _You_ didn’t exactly bother to teach him anything, so someone had to.” She chuckled and ambled towards the camper in a casual manner, but Roxas didn’t look so convinced.

“Only took one bag with ya?” Olette stopped, but Roxas continued. “Strange. Yer usually so prepared, Olette. Woulda thought you’d get Axel his own bag and supplies for that.”

“Well...” Olette turned back around, though it was obvious she was scrambling for an excuse. “It’s just that-“

“Do y’all think I’m stupid?” Roxas cut her off and got straight to the point. “Y’all had work to do here. You didn’t just take him out to teach ‘im how to hike.” He peered between both Axel and Olette, who was looking a little guilty. “What really happened? These two wouldn’t spill the beans and they’re worse liars than you.” He motioned to Pence and Hayner, who looked equally guilty.

Not wanting Olette — his savior of the evening — to take the blame, Axel stepped up. “I wandered off. Got lost. Olette came and found me.”

Roxas didn’t look surprised. Instead, he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, rubbing a hand down his face. “I _told_ you not to wander off on yer own, Axel. I told you!”

“I know, but-“

“And what did you do?” Roxas interrupted him, voice rising. “Ya went off on yer own!”

Axel bristled. Sure, it hadn’t been his smartest move, but he had done what he thought was right. “Look, I was just trying to help. I *want* to help!”

“By getting yer ass lost in the woods?”

“I’m back now, aren’t I?” Axel countered. “Safe and sound!”

“Only because Olette found you!” Roxas waved a hand in the woman’s direction. “What if she hadn’t? You don’t need no monsters to get yer in ass killed in the woods, ya know!”

“I know that!” Axel found his own voice rising with his frustration. He vaguely heard Pence telling them to keep it down, but he ignored it. As did Roxas.

“Then why’d ya fuckin’ run off on yer own like an idiot?!” He swiveled to cast a disbelieving look at the other three. “And y’all _let_ him!”

“I told you, I was trying to help! I’m tired of sitting around feeling useless while you all do all the work! I hate feeling like I don’t know what I’m doing!”

“You _don’t!_” Roxas spun on him again. “Judging by your actions tonight you clearly ain’t got a clue what yer doin’! You-“

“_I_ got information none of you’ve been able to get!” Axel yelled, cutting off Roxas this time. And Roxas did in fact draw up short. Feeling a bit triumphant, Axel continued. “Yeah. Yeah, you heard me. Useless Axel was able to dig up something you didn’t know about.”

Hayner, Pence, and Olette all looked at him with a mix of surprise and curiosity. Roxas seemed to struggle more, still frustrated and angry and having to weigh that against his own desire to know what Axel knew. Axel watched as shades of frustration danced across Roxas’ face. His nose wrinkled and the cigarette between his lips twitched as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. It was almost comical, the way he weighed the value of staying angry at Axel, or hearing him out.

Finally, with a huff, Roxas replied tightly, “_What_ do you know?”

Axel almost laughed at his small triumph. He didn’t, of course, not wanting to set off his still very testy team leader.

“I talked to someone,” he said. “You know the victim that was found? Her best friend was here. Told me a little about how the victim was acting before she went missing.” The faces of his team members were a mix of surprise and respect. He realized they too must have thought him a little useless, and while it stung, it was vindicating to prove them wrong.

The only one not looking impressed was Roxas, who still scowled. “And?” He asked, arms crossed, drumming his fingers against his bicep. “What’d she tell ya?”

Axel took a deep breath and relayed what Eva had told him to the best of his ability.

“Leviathan?” Olette echoed once he was done, mild confusion written across her face. “That’s from... a videogame?”

“It’s a creature from old mythology,” Hayner supplied. “Hebrew, I think. It’s described as some kinda big sea serpent. It gets used a lot in modern games and movies though.”

Olette and Pence shared a worried look, while Roxas kept his sharp gaze pinned squarely on Axel. “Well, good job,” he said, sounding far from impressed. “And where, Axel, are we gonna find a sea serpent in the Potomac?”

Axel grinned. He knew Roxas was trying to trip him up. What Roxas didn’t know was that Axel knew the river. He’d read articles on it, and even written a few himself. But more importantly, this was his home turf. He was ready.

“I think I have an idea.”


	9. Moon on the Ghost Fleet

Mallows Bay was not as easy to access as Axel had hoped. What was once open to tourists and kayakers just south of their stay in Smallwood State Park was now a protected marine sanctuary, meaning those allowed to enter were far and few between. He’d worried, for a moment, that he’d led the team to a dead end and wasted their time.

Axel wasn’t sure if he was surprised or thoroughly _not_ surprised by how ready and willing the team was to shrug off those restrictions and sneak onto the protected land.

They parked the camper at a nearby – though still miles away – stop where it would be left unbothered, and gathered a couple tents and other tools out of it. With Olette leading the way, the team set out at dawn and hiked through acres and acres of untouched forest, in order to sneak into the protected part of the Potomac. It was nearing noon and Axel’s feet and back were killing him by the time they made it, but they hadn’t been caught, and that’s all that mattered.

“Would ya look at that,” Hayner whistled as they emerged from the tree line onto the river. The whole team stopped and, for a moment, could only stare.

For a place often referred to as the Ghost Fleet of the Potomac, it certainly lived up to its name.

The river was peppered with the remains of old, abandoned ships, slowly decaying in the waters of the Potomac where they’d been abandoned years ago. Many sat along the shoreline, half covered in moss and plant life, their old weathered structures acting like makeshift docks out onto the waters.

More still lay further out into the river, appearing to be small islands from a distance, until one got close enough to see the man-made shapes below.

Old wood and steel beams stuck up from the water like ribs. Half sunken structures with dark, damp maws for openings sat covered in moss and trees. Others still were entirely sunken; drowned bodies that lingered just below the water’s surface.

Those that had been made of wood were more skeletal in nature, but a few steel hulls – still distinctly ship shaped – stuck up from the water. There was no mistaking the human crafted nature of the wreckage, but nature had long since claimed them as her own.

“How many ships are out here?” Olette asked, eyeing a long stretch of splintery, wooden structures running along the water to their left.

“About two hundred,”Axel replied. “They were built during World War I, but most never saw action, and a whole fleet was eventually just abandoned here. Nowadays it’s a wildlife and marine sanctuary, since a lot of animals have made the old ships their home.”

“And you think something more than an animal too?” Pence asked.

Axel could only shrug. “Well, the fleet is positioned right between two National parks where folks have gone missing. And, if there *is* something big lurking in the Potomac, well... this seems like an ideal place for it to hide.”

“It’s as good a hunch as we’ve got,” Roxas piped up. Axel was a little surprised the man agreed with him after all their bickering back at camp. But then, they wouldn’t be in Mallow’s Bay to begin with if he didn’t. “If it’s hiding here, it makes sense it would have to snatch people from surrounding areas, since this spot is off limits.”

Hayner kicked a rock into the water and watched the ripples spread out from where it sank. “Alright, so what’s the plan?”

“First, we need to set up camp. I want a place not easily seen from shore – I don’t want us getting spotted should a Ranger or someone come out here. But I also want a good view of the area.”

“What are you thinking?” Olette asked, shifting the tent bag she was carrying. 

Roxas hummed, and Axel followed his gaze out onto the water. There, in the center of the river, among all the wreckage and trees stood one structure in particular. All steel and mostly intact, the old ferry jutted out from the water, its top feet above the waves below and offering a small bit of flat, dry land. By the looks of it, the vessel was in a shallow spot and had sunken only a few feet before settling firmly on the riverbed.

It was an ideal place to set up camp, but actually getting to it proved... tricky. Without a boat of their own to reach the ship, they were left trying to cross what little land there was leading to the structure.

Olette was sent out first, without any gear, to ensure there was a way to get from land to the ship on foot. There was something resembling a path to it, all made out of other half sunken hulls, rotting boards, and a few trees jutting out from the water. None of it truly stable, but it was there, and Olette managed to get from land up on to the top of the ferry and back in once piece, save for a soaked boot and pant leg when she miscalculated a step.

The team walked, climbed, and inched single file towards the structure. They passed off gear at certain junctures to allow each member to cross particularly treacherous parts not weighed down and – more importantly – not risking their gear should they fall into the water.

Half way through, a few old boards between structures gave way, and both Roxas and Pence ended up soaked to the middle. Fortunately, it was a shallow part of the river and they’d kept their gear mostly dry, and were able to hand it off to Olette and Hayner as they climbed out of the mossy water.

Finally, after what felt like hours — but was likely only fifteen minutes — the five made it to the ferry, and one by one climbed up onto its deck. Despite the trouble getting there, it was a perfect spot to camp. Flat and dry, with an excellent view of the surrounding area. It’s height above the water not only gave them a vantage point, but meant they themselves were harder to spot from below.

They pitched their two tents side by side as close to the center of the deck as they could get. There was a slight tilt to the ship which would make it sleeping... interesting. Fortunately, aside from that, it felt stable, and Axel wasn’t too worried it would suddenly tip over and sink in the middle of the night.

“Alright, gather ‘round!” Roxas called to the group once the tents were set up. “New rules. We’re dealin’ with something aquatic, meanin’ it’s well out of our element. I want everyone to be on guard and twice as vigilant. No one goes anywhere alone.”

“Including you?” Axel interjected, and Roxas sighed.

“Even me. Everyone travels with a partner. On top of that, I want someone keeping watch up here at all times. It’s doubly important when we’re down on the water, but I want us keepin’ watch in shifts at night too. Last thing we need is to be caught off guard here.”

“I’ll take first watch,” Hayner volunteered.

“Alright,” Roxas nodded. “Hayner’s on first watch tonight. Axel, you’re on second. I want to do a bit of scouting before it starts to get dark. Olette and I can go out, and I want y’all three on lookout from up here. We won’t go out of sight. Okay?”

“You got it, Boss,” Pence replied. “You two be careful down there.”

———

“So... what happens if or when we find this thing?” 

Roxas and Olette had been down on the water for well over an hour. Their progress was clearly made slow by the inhospitable terrain, and Axel had watched as they spent a lot of time navigating the dry parts of half sunk skeletal ships. They climbed, and jumped, and skipped over the crisscrossing, makeshift pathways, and Axel couldn’t help but chuckle each time they had a close call and nearly fell into the water below.

Currently, they had made it to another large boat that, while intact, was half sunken and jutting out at a steep angle, and the two were clambering up its side to check inside.

Sitting next to him, Pence shrugged. “Don’t really know.”

Axel frowned.

“No offense but... it doesn’t seem like you guys had really... any kind of plan coming in here.”

“We didn’t!” Hayner added, from where he was keeping watch in a different direction. “You were here dude, you *know* we were called in to help with little else to go on than a weird dead body and a bad feeling.”

“Yeah, but...” Axel sighed. “Don’t you have, I dunno, some kind of back up plan when things are like this?”

Hayner blew out a laugh. “Yer lookin’ at it, buddy. Best we can do with so little information is physically come out here and look around. As for what we’ll do if we find this thing? Depends on exactly what the thing is.”

“Every case and every creature is so different, we really can’t know what we’re gonna do until we know exactly what kind of monster we have on our hands,” Pence added. “This thing’s apparently dangerous, so like... kill it, probably is the plan. But as for how, exactly?” He answered his own question with a shrug.

Axel hummed and looked back out over the water. Olette and Roxas were in the distance, having climbed aboard the capsized boat, and were discussing something. Roxas looked back towards their makeshift camp and, instead of waving, flipped them the bird. Axel snorted and returned the gesture.

“Guess we’ll just wait and see, then.”

———

Dinner was a far cry from what they ate back at the cabin or even the RV. Unable to start a fire atop the steel ferry, and unwilling to haul a cooler or anything of the sort, they were stuck eating food that required no cooking and no cold storage.

“Be thankful it’s peanut butter sandwiches tonight,” Roxas had laughed. “It’s gonna be canned beans and vegetables and protein bars once the bread is gone.”

The sun sank to the west over the lake, replaced by the mere sliver that was the waning moon, and the team huddled around a small, solar powered lamp for light. Frog song and cricket chirps filled the night air, which was finally turning cool come mid September, despite the days retaining a bit of sticky, late summer heat.

Axel was the third to turn in, after Pence and Olette (and after Roxas told him to go to bed.) Trying to sleep in the tent was far from comfortable. They’d traveled as light as they could, meaning anything more than a sleeping bag per person was left behind. The hard steel surface of the ferry was less than ideal, hard and cold against Axel’s sore limbs, and he tossed and turned for at least an hour before finally succumbing to sleep.

He didn’t hear Roxas come in, and was only roused sometime late that night by Hayner.

“C’mon, Red,” he said from the entrance of the tent, shaking Axel’s foot to wake him. Axel rubbed his face and looked around, disoriented, bleary-eyed, and with a sore shoulder.

“‘M up, ‘m up,” he mumbled as his senses came back to him. A curled up lump next to him indicated Roxas had gone to bed at some point that night, and Axel momentarily envied him, before he crawled out of their shared tent.

“What time is it?” he asked in a whisper.

“‘Bout three am,” Hayner replied. “Pence’s an early riser, so you’ll probably be relieved of your duties around seven or so. In the meantime, you just sit out here and keep a lookout. Make sure you watch all sides and yell if you spot anything. Oh, and no lights. You’ll see better without one, and we don’t want a light to give us away and get us spotted in return.”

“By authorities or a monster?”

“Yes.”

Axel chuckled and bid the man goodnight, then started his watch at the front of the little ferry.

If Axel had thought Mallows Bay was eerie during the day, it was nothing compared to the place at night.

What were, in the light of day, clearly man made and vaguely ship-shaped objects in the water, became abstract and haunting in the dark of night. Like some watery graveyard, rotting hulls stuck out of the water like corpses, their old beams and supports like ribs of some long-dead creature. Late summer fireflies darted in and out of them, dancing to the frog song that echoed out across the water.

Strange things made the river their home. Wisps and living shadows and things seen only in your peripheral lived like echoes in the watery ruins. Axel, as always, pretended not to see the way they watched him. Curious eyes. Curious creatures.

Now and then, a small splash would grab Axel’s attention. It couldn’t be more than a fish or some other creature that made its home in the river, but it put Axel on high alert for a few seconds every time.

It was an odd catch-22 for Axel, being out on the river like they were.

On one hand, he had been so sure this was a good spot – _the_ spot – to catch their monster. But as the hours ticked on, he became less and less sure of that conviction. After all, it had only been a hunch. A strong one he’d felt in his gut, yes. But a hunch all the same, and now Axel worried he’d led the team astray. What if he was wrong? What if this wasn’t the right place? What if there was no creature here?

But then, what if there was?

Being wrong was bad enough, but the situation didn’t exactly improve if Axel was right. Because if he was right, then they were sitting right in the middle of the creature’s den. Whatever that creature may be, they still didn’t know, and a part of Axel dreaded finding out.

With a heavy sigh, Axel turned his gaze up to the moon above. Full and bright, a perfect sphere that seemed larger out on the lake and dimmed the stars around it. It was reflected on the surface of the water, and its light further amplified the strange, shadowy shapes of the dead ships around them.

Axel found himself staring.

It was beautiful, really. Perhaps even comforting, with its light that chased away the pitch blackness that might otherwise surround him. The longer Axel stared, the larger the moon seemed to be, his peripheral vision making everything a dark blur compared to the celestial sphere. If he stared hard enough, Axel thought he could almost reach out and touch it. He tried even, arm outstretched like he could simply pluck the moon from the sky like fruit from a tree.

His hips bumped into the railing of the old ferry, jarring Axel from his daze. When had he gotten that close to the edge? He’d been standing by the tents moments ago, he must have shuffled forward without thinking. It was good the railing was there too. He hated to think what would have happened if he’d walked right off into the water.

Glancing down at said water, Axel saw the moon reflected on its rippling surface and...

And something felt wrong. He didn’t know what, but his gut curled and hair stood on end. Gaze drawn back down at the moon’s reflection, Axel stared hard, when suddenly, it sunk. The bright orb of light seemingly reflected on the water simply sunk beneath its surface, leaving the water inky and black and so, so dark.

Then another shape took its place. Pale white like the moon, but long and thin as it broke the surface of the water. It whipped from side to side and, belatedly, Axel realized that whatever it was, it was headed their way. Fast.

“G-guys? _Guys! Wake up!_” he yelled, stumbling away from the railing.

His companions were just starting to poke their heads out from their tents when whatever was in the water made contact with the ferry. 

It slammed into its side with an unimaginable force. The hollow, metal hull groaned and echoed deep like a bell rung, and Axel felt the vibrations run up his legs, his spine, his chattering teeth. It nearly knocked him over, and he crouched down as the ferry lurched, so as not to be sent sprawling to the deck.

“The _fuck_ was that?!” Hayner yelled from where he’d stumbled out of his tent.

Roxas, despite his ability to seemingly sleep through anything, was already up and at Axel’s side, one hand clutching his shotgun while he held the other out to help Axel back to his feet.

“What did you see?”

“I-I dunno!” Axel gulped down a breath and shook his head. “It was something in the water! It looked... I dunno, white? Or at least very pale. And _big_.”

There was a loud splash and the crunch of old wood breaking, splintering as whatever was in the water tore through one of the nearby ships. Birds that had been resting in the little tree growing there scattered, screeching into the night as they fled.

Another bang to the ship’s hull, this time on the opposite side. Olette ran to see if she could catch a glimpse of whatever their attacker was.

“Can you see what it is?” Roxas called, but the woman just shook her head.

“It’s in the water, I can’t tell! But Axel’s right, whatever it is, it’s big!”

Roxas cursed under his breath, and there was another crunch of shattering wood.

“There goes our exit!” Pence called from his post near the bow of the ship. Axel and Roxas both raced to join him and, sure enough, whatever their monster was. It had taken out the little wood pathways they’d used to board the ferry.

“Did it... did it do that on purpose?” Axel asked, breathless and starting to panic.

“Can’t say fer sure,” Roxas replied, voice calm, knuckles white. “But it wouldn’t surprise me. We’re not trapped, though. There’s plenty of crossing to other bridges and ships. We just... we ain’t gettin’ back to land anytime soon.”

The deck below their feet vibrated and the air was filled with a sickening, piercing screech as their monster scratched along the side of the ship. Metal cried and howled like a wounded animal as it was scratched and torn and ripped by something much, much larger than anticipated.

“Jesus _fucking_ Christ!” Hayner yelled over the sound. “Is it trying to sink the damn boat?”

“I mean, probably! What else would it be doing?” Roxas exclaimed over the sound, then waved everyone towards the tents. “Back away from the sides, and grab yer valuables out of the tents. This thing should be settled on the bottom of the river, but I want us ready to literally jump ship should it get pushed over!”

They did as instructed, each scrambling to pack their valuables and equipment into backpacks, in case they needed to make a quick escape. Another slam into the hull shook them all, nearly knocking poor Pence over, had Hayner not caught him.

Then, as soon as it had started, all fell quiet. Water sloshed against the ferry, broken wood bumping against its sides. The cacophony of squawking birds in the distance died down as the river slowly settled. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the next attack, but nothing came.

Slowly, Roxas inched towards the side of the boat, hand out to keep the team in place. He glanced out over the side, scanning the dark waters below. Shaking his head, he stepped back away from the railing and signaled Olette to do the same for the opposite side of the ship.

“I think it’s gone,” she whispered as she rejoined the group in the center of the deck.

“It’s just *gone?* What the hell was all that about then?” Hayner groaned and flopped down on the hard floor.

“Depends on how smart it is,” Pence replied. “It could have simply been tryin’ to get at us. But I worry it’s more intelligent than that, and that maybe it was purposely messing with us. Spook us to make us easier prey, ya know?”

“That could be the case,” Roxas hummed. He had a cigarette between his teeth and was working to light it. “We’ll need to be extra vigilant. From now on I want two pairs of eyes on lookout duty. We need to see this thing comin’ if it comes back, *and* we need to know just how big it is.” He sighed, blowing out a breath of smoke. “Axel, I know I asked already, but again, did ya get a look at it?”

“Uh..” Axel swallowed as all eyes turned to him. He clenched and unclenched his hands, then shook his head. “No.... sorry, no I really didn’t.”

“What did you see? Anything?” Roxas’ voice was even, not angry or impatient, but pointed all the same.

“I saw...” Axel paused as he thought back over the last few frantic minutes. “Something white. I was looking at the water – the reflection of the moon, I remember that. Then all of a sudden, something long and white was swimming this way, but... hell, I couldn’t tell you what exactly it was.”

Roxas nodded, taking another long pull from his cigarette as he thought. “It’s... not a lot to go off of. But, big and white should at least distinguish it from its surroundings. It’s not gonna look like a floating log or somethin’ like that. Though, it makes me wonder how it’s gone unnoticed for so long.” A beat of silence, then Roxas shook his head. “What time is it?”

Olette glanced at the watch on her wrist and groaned. “Almost six. It’s earlier than I usually get up, but lord knows I ain’t gettin’ back to sleep now.”

Next to her, Pence nodded. “Yeah, same.”

“Well, Axel,” Roxas said, glancing his way. “Looks like yer relieved of watch duty for the night. Why don’t ya go get some more sleep?”

“You sure?” he asked and Roxas nodded, waving him off. Hayner had already taken that as his cue to amble back to his tent so slowly, reluctantly, Axel did the same. He crawled into the little tent and collapsed onto his sleeping bag in a heap. His mind was still racing but his limbs felt heavy, no longer powered with adrenaline. He was still staring up at the tent’s canopy when Roxas crawled inside, apparently intent on getting some more sleep himself.

“I’m sorry,” Axel said.

Roxas toed his shoes off by the entrance flap then laid down, not even bothering to zip it back up. “Fer what?”

“I dunno, I...” he chewed his bottom lip. “I wish I’d noticed the thing sooner. Alerted you guys faster. Gotten a better look at it or... *something!*”

“You did yer best,” Roxas replied. “Yeah, woulda been great if you’d actually seen what it looked like, but the damn thing was in pitch black water at night. Ain’t surprised you couldn’t see much of it. ‘Sides, yer job was to alert us if you saw anything. You did that. Had this ferry gotten knocked over, we woulda been up and ready to jump. That’s the most important thing.”

Axel was quiet for a moment. “You really think it could knock this thing over?”

“Dunno.” Roxas blew out a breath. “Maybe. I’d rather assume it can – and will – and be prepared, rather than caught off guard.”

“To think I’d been worried I led you guys to the wrong place,” Axel blew out a cheerless laugh. “Now I feel like I led you right into a trap.”

“We chose to come out here. And believe me, we been in worse situations than this. We’ll figure somethin’ out,'' Roxas yawned.

“Yeah, but-“

A foot jabbed into his side. “Axel, shut up ‘n get some sleep.”

———

Axel woke again a little after nine. The inside of the tent had grown warm as the morning sun rose above them. Next to him, Roxas groaned, clearly awake but determined to hang on to sleep for just a little longer.

Grabbing his backpack, Axel climbed out of the tent, stretching sore limbs and joints that ached from sleeping on the hard deck. Late morning mist still hung over the river, casting ships and plant life in the distance into a gray fog.

Hayner had already woken up, and when he looked around, Axel caught sight of him and Pence at the bow of the ship. The two cast him a small wave when they noticed him, and Axel did the same in return, before they went back to their discussion.

“Mornin’!” Olette called, and Axel glanced around before he noticed the woman had climbed up onto the roof of the ferry’s wheelhouse for a better view of the surrounding area. “There’s granola bars in the supply bag. Help yerself to one!”

Axel nodded and did as instructed and while would have preferred some coffee, he knew that wasn’t exactly an option. Coffee had been one of the things given up when packing light for their river excursion.

“Haven’t seen anything since last night, I take it?” he called back as he unwrapped his meager breakfast.

“Nope!” Olette shook her head, eyes scanning the waters around them from behind dark sunglasses. “Been all peace ‘n quiet since then!”

Axel wasn’t exactly sure if that was a good thing.

The day passed slowly from there, but there was a tenseness in the air. Everyone was ready for the next attack, through none of them knew exactly if – when – it would come.

Hours ticked by, agonizingly slow. The team kept in good spirits, but there was an obvious strain as they all held their breath in quiet wait.

———

“So then, before this asshole can get another slur out of his fat mouth, Boss pounces! Just fuckin’.... jumped like a spider monkey and started wailin’ on him!”

Axel snorted, choking on the water he’d just taken a sip of.

“I won’t lie, a part of me wanted to be offended. It’s not like I can’t take care of myself,” Hayner protested, hand over his heart. “But the other, much more petty part of me was just happy to watch Roxas kick the shit outta that guy.”

Into the late afternoon, Axel and Hayner had been assigned watch duty up on the top of the wheelhouse. They sat back to back, eyes on opposite ends of the river, and when it came time for dinner, Hayner regaled Axel of the time he and Roxas went to a bar in Mississippi together back in their younger days while Axel ate.

“Needless to say, we were thrown out of that bar and banned from ever coming back. But then, so was that asshole, and *he* also ended up with a broken nose. So, I call it a win.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t call the cops on you,” Axel laughed.

“Oh, they did. We just ran. Got the hell out of town that night.” Hayner snickered and took a bite of the protein bar he’d chosen for his meal that night. “Olette was *pissed.*”

“Y’all talking ‘bout me?”

Both men looked over to see Olette pop her head up over the edge of the wheelhouse roof from the slanted side they used to climb up and down from.

“Nah,” Hayner shook his head, then raised his voice a little. “Just talking ‘bout Boss bein’ my knight in shitty armor!”

A muffled _fuck off!_ could be heard from Roxas down on the deck, making the three laugh.

“Anyway, what’chu want? I know our watch duty ain’t up just yet.”

“Yer right,” Olette replied. “And I’m gonna need y’all to be even more vigilant here in a bit.”

Axel cocked a brow. “Why, what’s up?”

“Goin’ down on land for a bit. Or, well, water I guess.”

“Yer gettin’ off the boat?” Hayner asked, sounding just as apprehensive as Axel suddenly felt. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

Olette shrugged and blew out a small sigh. “Can’t say it’s a _great_ idea, but our options are kinda limited right now. We got food and water for the next couple days, but my concern is maybe that *thing* is on the more intelligent side, and is gonna purposely try to starve us out.”

“It was awful convenient how it took out the little land bridge we used to get here,” Hayner muttered.

“Yeah. And I’d rather not wait around ‘til we’re out of food and water and getting desperate. So I’m headin’ down. Gonna see if I can find another path back to land. If I can find a relatively easy one, maybe we can book it back to dry ground and regroup. If it’s a more treacherous one, then... I dunno, I might have to get us some help. We’ll have to call in a favor, which I know Boss won’t like, but...” she shrugged again. “Anyway, all that’s to say is I’m gonna need ya’ll to be on extra high alert while I’m down there. Y’all are my eyes up here, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hayner replied, and both men got to their feet, pulling their supply packs back on. No one had left their stuff out of reach since that night, just in case they had to bail quickly. Axel secretly also just felt a little more secure with it nearby, as it still held his trust crowbar and all the tools Olette had loaned him.

Together, they watched as Olette climbed back down the side of the wheelhouse and stopped to talk with Roxas. The two looked or over the railing as they spoke, occasionally pointing to different spots out on the water, mapping Olette’s potential path.

Finally, she grabbed her own pack and hauled herself over the side of the ferry.

Her initial exploration was treacherous. The attack from the night before had left the area around the boat filled with loose debris bobbing in the water. Olette had to go slow, careful not to mistake any of it for solid ground, as well as map out a new path away from the ship.

Axel watched her closely, mentally mapping the way she went and the path she took, just in case any of them needed to bail or, more likely, she had to make a very quick retreat back to the ferry.

“You think she’ll be okay?” Axel asked, softly, as though the question alone could jinx them.

“She’s the most qualified to do this,” Hayner replied. It wasn’t even almost an answer to the question, and Axel didn’t miss the way his voice was thick with tension. “I trust that she knows what she’s doing.”

Axel just took a steadying breath and kept his eyes on the river – on Olette.

By then, the sun had begun to go down. The mist from that morning had burned off hours ago, and now everything glowed fiery red, with a tint of blue in the shadows and on the darkening horizon.

Stars had begun to dot the sky, one by one, and despite it still being mostly light out, the moon was already well into the sky. It was bright, perfectly round and white, and it’s reflection was the same on the glassy water below.

An odd, uneasy feeling coiled in Axel’s gut.

Something felt wrong. Axel looked around, but neither Hayner, nor his other companions seemed to notice. He was about to speak up when he noticed just how quiet it was. The sound of birds nesting for the evening and crickets chirping away in the twilight should have been all around them. But instead, all Axel could here was the constant sound of water from the river below.

Axel whipped his head back around to find Olette. She was yards away, though closer than she had been a moment ago; a dead end path made her turn back and try another direction.

Axel’s momentary relief at spotting her curdled immediately when he saw the bright, milky white moon reflected on the water nearby. It was far too big, far too bright. Far too *close* to Olette.

And all at once it clicked.

“Oh fuck,” Axel breathed.

He faintly heard Hayner ask what he meant, but Axel was already bolting to the edge of the wheelhouse. He practically jumped from it, ignoring the way his hard landing sent a jolt up his legs.

“_Olette!_” he yelled as he reached the railing. Roxas was coming his way, along with Pence, but Axel paid them no mind. He didn’t have time to explain. Didn’t have time to stop. Instead, to the sound of their dismayed yells, Axel hauled himself over the side of the ferry.

“_Shit, shit, shit!_” he cursed as he stumbled and sloshed his way over the old wood and metal of half sunken ships. He fell half into the water a few times, but kept himself going by grabbing onto trees and old boards protruding from the water. Behind him, he could hear the others calling to both him and Olette, and as he climbed up and over the askew deck of another boat, he saw the woman in question.

She’d turned, alerted by their yelling, and was watching Axel in confused dismay. A glance down at the water and there it was, the reflection of the moon. Bigger. _Closer_.

“Olette, _run!_” he tried to yell, though it came out as more of a panicked wheeze. The water around him began to vibrate and splash wildly against the wood and overgrowth he stumbled along. 

Almost there, he was almost there. Olette was just feet away. She looked dismayed. Worried. Maybe she knew something wasn’t right either, beyond Axel’s behavior.

“Axel!” she called as he got near. “What’s happening? What did you see? Hell, why did you _come out here?_”

Axel gasped and sucked down air as he raced towards her, stumbling and slipping over the old mossy frame of another ship. From the corner of his eyes he could see the damned reflection. So big and bright it damn near took up his entire periphery.

There wasn’t time. There wasn’t time to stop. To think. To explain. The water bubbled, rippled unnaturally, before the reflection of the moon sank, and Axel’s heart with it.

He reached Olette and pushed. Shoved her hard with all of his strength and momentum, just as the river exploded. Water shot up in all directions, wood cracked and splintered from the force of waves pulsing against it. Olette fell back, tumbling and rolling onto the long, slanted deck of another waterlogged vessel.

The ground beneath Axel swelled with a wave. Then, out of the explosion of water, he saw it.

Great and white, with rough, scaled skin. Pale and shimmering like an opal. Pale and thin as death. Translucent skin glittered in the fading light, crisscrossed with blue veins just below its surface. It’s head was long. Huge – damn near the size of a sofa – with a grinning maw that held rows and rows of needle-like teeth. Too, too many teeth.

Then there were the eyes. So many eyes, all dotting it’s head with little rhyme or reason, like they’d been arranged with a shotgun blast. Each of them round and pale, reflecting the light from the fading sun, a cluster of tiny moons.

It was all Axel saw before the force of the creature and its violent waves slammed into Axel, knocking him off his feet and into the black waters below.


	10. Leviathan

The night air was cool against his skin. Grassy earth soft beneath him. Axel’s body felt light, weightless, and as he opened his eyes, an ocean of stars spread out across the sky above him.

He blinked a few times, his mind foggy and slow, as though waking from a dream.

He stood, slowly, limbs not heavy per se, but sluggish. As he looked around, Axel found himself at the top of a small hill. All around him, as far as the eye could see, rolling plains covered in soft, green grass that swayed slowly in the breeze. No trees. No buildings. Just miles and miles of lush hills.

There were no clouds above, and everything was bathed in soft moonlight. It was hardly even dark, everything bathed in a cool, blue-green glow.

Axel couldn’t place where he was, why he was there, or where he’d been, for that matter. Oddly, the thought didn’t bother him. This felt right, he was supposed to be here.

He began to walk. He had no destination in mind, yet had the sense he knew exactly where he was going. Where he was *supposed* to be going. He wandered over hills and plains, steps slow, sluggish, but deliberate. 

After a time, he realized he was following the moon, letting its gentle glow lead him towards where it sat, heavy and large just above the horizon.

One by one, little white flowers dotted the grassy hills, reflecting the freckled stars above. Their soft petals practically glowed in the light of the pale moon, and with each step Axel took, more and more surrounded him. Soon, he stood in an ocean of them. White petals floated slowly, dreamily in the air around him.

He came upon a tall hill, larger than those around it, and as Axel turned his face to the sky he saw figures up at the top. Waiting for him.

Axel began his climb. Step by slow step he made his way up the flowery embankment. When at last he reached the summit, he saw the figures — other humans — didn’t merely stand in the forest of flowers however. Instead –to Axel’s dismay – they flew.

Each person hung, suspended and weightless feet — yards — above the soft earth. They were motionless, save for gentle swaying and turning from the breeze.

Axel wanted to join them. He wanted to fly.

He took a step forward and tried to call out, but his voice came out muffled. He tried again, and nothing. A strange feeling coiled in his gut.

One of the people closest to him – a woman – slowly turned, and Axel knew her face. Why did he know her face?

Looking to the other people, he realized he knew them as well. But from where? Where had he seen them before? Why were they all here? Where... where was *here?*

Confusion turned to dread turned to panic as Axel realized he didn’t know the answer to that last question. _Where was he?_

He racked his brain, trying to remember. Remember where he was. Where he’d been last. What he’d been doing. He had to remember – *needed* to!

He remembered...

He remembered.

Roxas.

Like a jolt, everything came back to him. The woods. The lake. The monster! The team!

_Roxas!_

Axel’s head snapped back up, and with a chill, he knew where he’d seen those faces before. Each one was a missing person, a face on a poster or a police report, all having disappeared along the Potomac.

But Axel wasn’t there in time to save them. With a wave of dread, Axel realized they weren’t flying – they were _floating_. Lifeless bodies, one after the other, suspended in water, rocked too and fro by the soft current. Empty vessels like so many abandoned ships on the river.

With that realization, Axel realized he too was becoming weightless. He tried to keep his feet on the ground. Kicked and thrashed to stay planted there, but he found himself pulled up all the same. Drawn up and forward and-

And closer to that moon, which hung unnaturally large and bright on the horizon. It pierced him, like an eye, it could see right through his very being. White light dripped and oozed from it to the grassy earth below, smattered the fields in a blinding, horrific glow.

He tried to scream, but only a torrent of bubbles came out. _He couldn’t breathe!_

Axel thrashed and kicked, trying to swim away from the dreaded scene. That watery grave. He needed to get away. To go somewhere – _anywhere_ – other than this!

His lungs burned and his chest ached, his limbs slow and heavy in the water. The grassy floor below him was gone, and Axel looked around desperately trying to discern which way was up.

Something caught his eye. Not the moon, not the lost souls floating around him, but something blurry, warped by the rippling water. Something muffled rang in his ears, again and again, until he realized it was his name. Someone was calling his name!

He swam for the blurry shape. Kicked and paddled and swung his arms. His vision was blurry, and his lungs *screamed* for air. He reached for the figure, hand outstretched as another torrent of bubbles escaped his chest. He felt himself slipping. 

Sinking. 

_Sinking_.

And then a pair of hands grabbed his own. Warm and strong and holding tightly, they hauled him up. Up and out, and Axel broke the surface of the water with a gasp as the cacophony of the river above came crashing back in on him. 

He knelt on hands and knees on an old steel deck, soaked to the bone and retching up mossy river water. Warm hands were on him; one pair steadied him while another rubbed his back and pushed wet hair out of his face.

“-el? Axel? Hey, look at me, Axel.”

_Roxas_.

Axel looked up to see deep blue eyes staring back at him. Worry was etched across Roxas’ face like Axel hadn’t seen before. He tried to speak, but only coughed up more water.

“Easy, easy...” Roxas said softly, holding firm to Axel to keep him steady as he coughed and gagged and sucked air into burning lungs.

“Is he okay?” he heard Hayner call from a distance. Then a curse and wood cracking.

“Yeah!” Olette, the other person standing next to him. Belatedly, Axel realized it must have been her and Roxas who hauled him out of the water.

“C’mon Axel, I know ya almost drowned there but we gotta _move_.” Roxas said, voice hushed but frantic. “Hayner and Pence can’t keep that thing distracted for long and we are sitting ducks out here!”

Axel nodded, still unable to speak properly. He knew. He knew they needed to get out of there. He tried to stand, legs wobbly and uncertain, feet slipping in the puddle he’d created on the deck of an older cargo boat.

Roxas and Olette helped him to his feet, and held him until Axel had properly gotten his bearings and could hold his own. And just in time.

“_Guys!_” Pence yelled. “It’s coming for ya!”

The three turned and, sure enough, a long white shape was swimming their way.

“Shit!” Roxas hissed. “Go! _Go!_”

They ran. Up and over the slanted deck of the boat they were on, then out and across another makeshift bridge across the water.

It was Olette who was separated first. The creature came crashing towards them and she had to stop to avoid being caught in its maw. She was safe, but it tore through the beams and debris that had been their bridge, right between her and Axel. He and Roxas stopped momentarily to look back at her.

“Just go! Get to the boat or to land or _wherever!_” Roxas yelled and waved her off in another direction. She nodded, and was off.

Roxas and Axel did the same, running and jumping, and flinging themselves from one bit of stable terrain to the next.

“Axel!” Roxas called back over his shoulder. “If we get separated, I need you to keep running! Do you hear me?”

“Roxas-“

“Do you _hear_ me, Axel? You keep fucking running!”

Axel swallowed hard. His gut said no. No, he wouldn’t just run if they were separated, and Roxas needed him. No.

He nodded anyway.

“Good,” Roxas breathed. “Now, c’mon”

More crashing and crushing of wood and metal echoed to their right, and Axel looked over to see the creature tearing through the hull of a half sunken ship that Olette had – thankfully – just ambled over and jumped off of. She ran and leapt across another liner as the monster shook debris from its massive head.

From atop the ferry, Hayner and Pence did their best to try and grab the monster’s attention. Hayner had a shotgun and fired into the water, hoping to lure the creature away from the three down on the river.

It wasn’t working and as Axel watched the leviathan, the creature turned its massive head and pinned him with those many, many milky white eyes.

Seeing new prey, it changed course and was headed their way like a torpedo. 

Roxas noticed it too. His hand clamped down on Axel’s arm and Roxas all but threw him ahead of himself. “_Go!_” he commanded, pushing Axel forward, and Axel ran.

A small embankment in the middle of the river was their goal. It wasn’t much but a bit of dry land with a couple tall trees rooted there.

Axel could hear water rushing, the groan of wood and metal as the leviathan crashed through old hulls towards them. He made it to the embankment and turned, heart dropping when he saw how far behind Roxas was. Axel’s legs were longer, they carried him faster and allowed him to jump easier from one spot of solid footing to another.

Roxas wasn’t looking at him, attention turned towards the creature. When he did return his attention to Axel, he came up short, shocked that Axel had stopped. “What are you doing?! Run!”

“But-“

Whatever either of them was going to say was cut off as a torrent of water burst forth, crashing down on both of them as the creature erupted from the river below. It bypassed Roxas and went straight for Axel, it’s momentum carrying it up onto the small embankment. Axel had just enough time to dive out if it’s way before it crashed into the couple trees growing there.

It had six legs in total, each spaced out along its long but muscular body, and they scratched and scrambled and kicked dirt and debris up wildly in an attempt to back out of the trees it wedged itself on. It’s tail was equally long and thick. Axel could see more sickly blue veins running down it, and had to quickly back away as it whipped from side to side, knocking old planks and metal in all directions.

Multiple eyes blinked and swiveled and turned his way, locking in on Axel as the creature slowly turned. It was, mercifully, less agile and quick on land. Not but much, but enough that Axel could get a head start sprinting across moss covered wood and old hills.

“Hey!” Roxas shouted somewhere behind him. Axel turned to see Roxas wasn’t yelling at him, but rather the creature. He picked up debris and lobbed it at the monster’s head. A rock, hunk of waterlogged wood, discarded beer bottle, the last of which crashed and shattered against the creature’s head. It made a loud horrible noise that sounded somewhere between rushing water and gurgling. It turned, attention now on Roxas, and began its pursuit.

“What are you _doing?_” Axel yelled, voice echoing out across the river.

Roxas ran as the creature slipped back into the water, a pale moon beneath the surface, blurry as it gave chase. He managed to haul himself up onto a steel hull jutting out from the river, just as the creature got close. It circled in a tight arc, splashing water up as its tail whipped up across its surface. 

“Getting it away from _you!_” he yelled back. “Now, fuckin’ run! Get to dry land!”

“And what’s your plan?” Olette called. She herself had lingered, not yet making it for the ferry or land.

“Hadn’t thought that far!” Roxas stumbled but caught himself as the creature side swiped the old boat he’d taken refuge on. The metal whined, and for a moment Axel was afraid it would go down. Fortunately, it didn’t. Yet. More hits like that and Roxas would be sent hurtling into the water below.

“You fuckin’ idiot!” Axel spat, then turned to the ferry where Pence and Hayner were still aboard. “Hey! Can you get its attention?”

“We’re trying!” Hayner yelled back. Sure enough, they’d been trying to make a racket and even fire shots from Roxas’ shotgun to distract the beast. “I think it’s focused on y’all! You need to get to higher ground!”

Axel cursed under his breath and made to run back in Roxas’ direction. Like hell he was going to just run and leave Roxas a sitting duck. The creature saw him coming and once again made him its mark. When he saw it coming Axel bolted off down a different path, and from the corner of his eye he saw Roxas leap from the perch he’d made on one boat and run down another. He whistled to get Axel’s attention, then motioned ahead of them where old boats and overgrowth converged into a thick cluster of ships and rusting hulls.

“Hopefully this’ll slow it down,” Roxas huffed as they climbed into the deck of one such ship, then immediately leapt to another with Axel following suit. “If it wants to chase us here it’ll have to break through a lot of this. Hopefully it’ll impale it’s damn self.”

The creature did at least the first of those ideas and a steel ferry was upended behind them, where it was sent crashing down into the wet and rotten wood of another. Splinters and water sprayed them both and Roxas pushed Axel onto the next ship, which lurched beneath his feat as the attack sent many of the ships nearby knocking into one another.

Axel’s wrist was grabbed and Roxas pulled him along the deck to the next boat in line.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath as he realized it was too tall for them to simply leap aboard, and more crashing and metal twisting behind them meant they couldn’t stand there long.

“In there,” Roxas said pointing to an old porthole, the glass long since shattered and completely broken away. It wasn’t very large, but it was just big enough for a man to slip through, and it was reachable.

Axel wasted no time in hauling himself up and through. His feet landed in calf high water with a splash, followed by a second splash as Roxas joined him. The sound of screeching, and bending metal outside echoed and bounced around the damp, empty walls of the ship’s hull.

Then something slammed into the side of the ship they’d scrambled into, and Axel was knocked here over head as the whole vessel rocked and groaned as it rolled to the side. Water poured over him as it rushed in through the open portholes. Above the din, he heard Roxas call his name and a hand gripped his own.

“We gotta get out of here, buddy!”

“No shit!” Axel replied with a half hysterical laugh. Water was already filling the tipped hull and soon both men had to paddle to stay afloat. “And how do you propose we do that?”

Roxas looked around, then up at the portholes, now above them. “Think you can reach one of those?”

Axel looked up. The window was far too high, but as water continued to rush into the ship, it brought them closer and closer to reaching it. “Only once more water pours in, then I can.”

“Let’s hope that happens quick. I don’t wanna find out the hard way that thing can tear through metal.”

Axel felt that sentiment in his chilled bones. Each second in the rising water felt like an eternity. It was cold, and his soaked clothes and backpack made it all the harder to tread water. The ship reverberated with the sound of other vessels colliding, the creature slamming into the exterior of their temporary cave.

Finally, when the water seemed high enough, Axel reached up and swung his arm out towards the porthole. He missed, and tried again. On his third attempt he caught the edge of it and, with a laugh of triumph, hauled himself up and out. Once free, he turned around and reached inside to help Roxas climb out as well.

Water lapped at the side of the sinking vessel and the two scrambled to run along its upended side, where they leapt onto another that was still upright. They dodged in and out of its wheelhouse and into the next ship in line. From the corner of his eye he saw the pale creature, glowing against the black water as it pushed its way between boats and splintered hills, forcing them aside and into one another.

It dove beneath the water, and suddenly the boat they were on upended beneath their feet, bow first. Axel, who was near the railing, caught ahold of it and held on as the ship went nearly perpendicular. Roxas, however, was sent tumbling down its deck and splashed into the dark waters below.

Then, the ship lurched, tilted and turned and came crashing back down, only to land on another nearby vessel, leaving it slanted and Axel clinging to the rusted railing.

“Shit, shit, shit!” He hissed and scanned the water for any sign of Roxas. He held his breath until he saw the man emerge from the water and haul himself up onto another ship. The man shook water from his hair then looked around, shoulders slumping in relief when he saw Axel.

Axel’s relief didn’t last long when he caught sight of the creature’s pale shape circling just below. Eyes broke the water’s surface and swiveled to look up in his direction. Then it lunged, tried to scramble up the ship’s deck, all snapping jaws and scraping claws. Axel yelped and climbed further up the railing, trying to keep well out of the creature’s range. It couldn’t reach him yet, but he didn’t want to give it the chance.

Another lunge and those jagged rows upon rows of sharp teeth snapped at him, and Axel got a good view into the depths of the monster’s mouth. In the distance, Roxas yelled and tossed scrap wood and metal at the creature, trying to lure it away. It was to no avail.

Axel tried to climb another rung on the railing as the ship groaned under the monster’s weight, but got stuck when his backpack snagged on a crooked, broken bit. He cursed under his breath and yanked to dislodge it.

It was heavy and weighing him down, no doubt most of the items within water logged and ruined. He was tempted to take it off and toss the whole thing down the creature’s gullet. Let it choke on his cellphone, and crowbar, and-

Axel slipped the backpack from his shoulders, clinging to the railing with one arm as he thrust the other into the soaked bag. He fished around in its contents until he pulled out the emergency flare with a triumphant laugh. He frantically glanced over its instructions and, with slippery hands, ripped the paper wrapping off. He took the cap off and struck the flint tip to the combustible end. Nothing happened, so he struck it again and again, until all at once it burst into a hot, red sizzling flame.

“Axel, what the hell are you doing?” Roxas hollered from across the water.

“I dunno!” Axel yelled back. “But here goes nothing!” He waited until the monster lunged up at him again, maw gaping and wide. A perfect target.

Axel hurled the flare as hard and straight as he could at the leviathan’s mouth, whooping in triumphant disbelief as the flame plummeted right down its throat. Jaws snapped shut with a loud snap, and the creature crashed back into the water below as it had already done time and time again.

He watched as it circled the ship then tried to scramble up the deck one last time. It didn’t get far when those moonlit eyes flashed, glowing fire-red from the inside out. It opened its jagged maw again and let out a hissing, gurgling, wet screech. Something sizzled and bubbled and popped, like water poured onto a campfire and the leviathan writhed. It slid back into the water, twitched and thrashing, its pale body slamming into the hull and deck of the ship as white foam bubbled and oozed out of its mouth.

Those burning eyes twitched and swiveled in all directions before they locked onto Axel again. The creature hissed and one last time, with great effort, tried to fail itself up the deck of the ship. Then with a last breath, it collapsed, heavy body crumpling onto the slanted deck and sinking halfway back into the water, jaws open wide, eyes dark.

And then all was quiet.

“Holy hell!” 

Almost everything.

Roxas scrambled back over towards the upended boat as Axel gingerly lowered himself from its railing. He was hesitant to get too close to those open jaws, in case the creature had one last bite in it. It remained still and dead, oozing foam from it gullet and smelling a bit of smoke and steam.

“How the hell did ya know to do that?” Roxas asked, pushing wet hair out of his face.

“I didn’t!” Axel half laughed. “I thought it wouldn’t like swallowing the flare and maybe it would give us time to run but...” he motioned to the moonlit creature and shrugged helplessly.

“Huh,” Roxas huffed, impressed. “Well, shit.”

“Guys?” Olette’s voice echoed over the water from a distance. “Y’all okay? Where are you?”

“We’re okay! Everything’s safe I think!” Roxas called back, then whistled to better direct her to their location. In a minute, Olette came climbing up over one of the ships and stared down at the sight from her vantage point on its deck.

“Well, goddamn...” she said as she took the scene in. She turned and looked over her shoulder, waving then giving the thumbs up presumably towards Hayner and Pence.

Axel turned back to Roxas and found the other men eyeing the creature as he slowly inched closer and closer, focus locked directly on its large, multi-rowed teeth.

“Ya still got that crowbar, Axel?”

“Huh? O-oh, yeah!” Axel dug into his backpack a second time and pulled out the tool. He carefully climbed over the ship’s tipped wheelhouse to hand it to Roxas.

“Thanks. Olette!” He used the crowbar to motion the woman closer. “Get yer ass down here. I want these teeth.”

“You got it boss!” She replied and hopped across a few ships, then slid down the slanted deck to join Roxas.

Axel watched in silent disbelief as the two began the sickening task of prying sharp teeth from the open maw, one by one. Roxas paused in his work and glanced back up at Axel. 

“Unless you wanna help us, I recommend you get back to the ship.” He looked Axel up and down with a smirk. “Ya look a bit like a drowned rat.”

“Like yer one to talk,” Olette teased, which earned her the dirty crowbar being wiped off on her arm. She yelped and swatted at Roxas, who just laughed, then turned back to Axel.

“Give us yer backpack before ya go.”

A part of Axel wanted to offer to help but, well, he didn’t know how nor did he particularly want to play cryptid dentist. So, tossing the backpack Roxas’ way, he turned and began to slow trek back towards their campsite.

“Yer alive!” Hayner hollered from the ship when he saw Axel approach. Both he and Pence helped haul an exhausted Axel back up to the deck, which he was more than grateful for.

“Yeah I am,” he chuckled and flopped down onto the floor. “Roxas too.”

“No surprise there, ya can’t kill him.” Pence replied.

“Why? ‘Boss’ got some kind of superpowers?” Axel asked, but Hayner just laughed.

“Nah, he’s just a cockroach.”

———

Roughly thirty minutes later – a time which Axel used to get a bit of food and water in him – Roxas and Olette returned.

“We’re back!” Roxas announced as he hauled himself back up onto the deck, followed closely by Olette. Like Axel, Roxas was still soaked to the bone, blond hair slicked back and shirt clinging to his frame. Axel caught himself staring and quickly averted his gaze. “And we’ve got a haul.”

To demonstrate, he opened the backpack and showed off the collection of teeth they’d pried from the monster and stuffed inside.

“What do you need those for?” Axel asked, wary.

Roxas picked up one of the pearly white chompers and examined it, then tossed it to Hayner. It was brilliant white with an odd opalescent sheen. Axel wouldn’t have believed it a tooth at all had he not seen rows of them snapping at his ass mere minutes before.

“Payday,” Roxas said, matter-of-fact. “We’re going to Baltimore.”

Hayner whooped and threw his hands up into the air. The entire team seemed excited, in fact.

“I have no idea what that means,” Axel said, shaking his head. “But I can’t complain. I uh... probably need to get a new phone now. And I wouldn’t mind stopping by my apartment to get some more outdoor-suitable clothing. Didn’t really pack for camping when I left.”

“That can be arranged,” Roxas nodded and zipped the backpack closed again after the team had gotten a good look.

Axel nodded and glanced back out over the water, darker now that some illusion of a moon wasn’t reflecting off of it.

“So... what happens to that thing now? I mean, you destroyed the creature in the woods yourself but... _that?_” Axel had been impressed with the team’s ability to haul and dispose of the wood beast, but the creature in the Potomac seemed beyond their abilities.

“I got some contacts,” Roxas said as he removed his soaked shoes and dumped water out of them. Both of them were completely drenched and, now that they were no longer running for their lives, Axel realized it was getting cold.

“Contacts?”

“Yeah, folks here in town who can help... clean up, so to speak. We’re lucky this is an off-limits reserve. Gives folks more time to do so without it being seen.”

Axel eyed Roxas carefully as he removed his own sopping shirt and wrung river water out of it. “Just how many contacts you got?”

Roxas chuckled. “What, in Baltimore, or just in general?”

“Never mind, don’t answer that.” Axel tossed his wet shirt at Roxas, who just laughed. “So, when are we getting out of here?”

“Mornin’,” Roxas replied. “I don’t wanna hang around longer than necessary. Hopefully, it was just the one creature – I suspect it was – but even if there’s more, we know how to kill it apparently. Can pass that information on or, I guess, come back and do this all again.”

Axel gave him a flat look. “I’d rather not.”

“Yeah, you ‘n me both. Anyway, I’m gettin’ fuckin’ cold!” Roxas shuddered and peeled off his own wet shirt, and began to work on his pants as he made his way back towards their tent. Pence whistled and Roxas flipped him the bird. Pants and socks were shucked off and tossed aside in a wet puddle before Roxas crawled into the tent to look for dry clothes. Axel, a bit more reluctantly, did the same, scurrying into the tent as fast as he could once his own pants were removed.

“They’ll all see yer bare ass eventually,” Roxas said and Axel hurried to zip up the tent’s flap. “Kinda comes with the territory of traveling together twenty-four-seven.”

“But I can’t show them yet!” Axel laughed. “I need to keep _some_ mystique about myself. Save it for the right time.”

Roxas snorted as he pulled on a dry sweater. “Whatever you say, Red.”


	11. A Small Reprieve

Sleep came much easier that night, both from exhaustion, and from the safety of knowing the creature was dead and wouldn’t be coming back for them in the night. Pence and Olette still kept watch, though they were more on the lookout for authorities than anything else.

Axel woke up and crawled out of the tent around mid-morning, and Roxas followed suit just before noon. Their little camp was packed up quickly and they disembarked. It was harder getting back to land with their original path destroyed and so much debris floating around, but they managed, and only one person (Hayner) got a foot dunked into the water when he misstepped.

The hike back to their RV was long, Axel’s muscles sore from the night before, and he was never more happy to see the old RV than when they came stumbling through the trees that afternoon.

“So, what’s the plan, Boss?” Hayner asked as he and Olette packed the tents back into the RV.

Roxas hummed in thought and held up the backpack filled with their haul of teeth. “Well, I gotta get these to the shop.”

Axel opened the trunk of his car and dumped his still-damp clothes inside. He’d have to give them a good wash or they’d smell like musty lake water for ages. “What shop is that?”

“Little oddities shop in town,” Roxas replied.

“Oh.” Axel closed the trunk. “I could take you.”

Roxas, who had procured a cigarette from god knows where, paused in lighting it to look back up at Axel. “Yeah? You know where it is?”

“Yeah,” he snorted. “I live there, I have a good idea what shop it is. I mean, I’ve never been or anything. I tended to... avoid that kinda stuff. But I know how to find the place. Besides I need to run into the city to get my stuff anyway, so I’ll be in the area.”

Roxas considered the offer for a moment, cigarette shifting between his lips. “Alright,” he conceded, then turned to the rest of the team. “Me ‘n Axel are gonna run to the shop, and then his place I guess. While we do that, y’all find a place to stay for the night.”

Hayner poked his head out of the RV door, grinning. “Do we get to stay at a hotel?”

“Sure why not?”

Hayner whooped and gave both Pence and Olette high-fives. Axel couldn’t blame him. After the night he had, he also wanted a hot shower and a real bed. One that could properly accommodate his height.

“Alright,” Roxas said. “Let’s get everything packed away, and then let's get a move on!”

———

“What part of Baltimore do ya live in?”

Roxas sat in Axel’s passenger seat, feet propped up on the dash. With the rest of the team off to find a hotel, Axel and Roxas ventured into the city to find the little oddities shop Roxas spoke of. Axel was sure he knew the place, as most who lived in the area were familiar with the little tourist trap that promised, at the very least, an interesting experience for whoever stepped inside. Axel avoided it like the plague.

“Hmm? Oh, I’m in the Bolton Hill area. Bit of an artsy district.”

“Ooooh,” Roxas cooed teasingly. “So fancy. I’m a bit surprised though.”

Axel cocked a brow and glanced at Roxas as they waited at a stoplight. “And why’s that?”

“Just doesn’t seem like yer cup of tea. I mean, ain’t Baltimore supposed to be super haunted ‘n shit? I mean, yer just a skip away from the Belvedere Hotel, which is supposedly just _full _of ghosts.”

“It’s not,” Axel replied flatly. A beat of silence passed before he realized what he said, and he could feel Roxas’ eyes on him. 

“You sound awful confident in that assessment,” Roxas hummed.

“I just mean… I don’t believe in ghosts, is all. I don’t think Baltimore is haunted because… ghosts aren’t real.”

Roxas just grunted in response, and Axel didn’t know what it meant. Mercifully, Roxas dropped it. “Turn here,” he said, pointing to a street a few yards away.

Axel frowned. He’d taken Roxas down Roland Avenue, sure that the little shop was just a few turns away to the east on 36th. Roxas, however, pointed him in the opposite direction. “You sure?” Axel asked.

“Sure as shit,” Roxas replied. “Now, turn here.”

Axel did as told, turning off to the East and towards the tracks. The streets grew smaller, giving way to neighborhoods filled with old millhouses, some of which still served as homes, while others had been converted into small shops and salons. Roxas kept his eyes peeled on the houses, occasionally telling Axel where to turn as they meandered through the small, quiet streets.

“Here,” Roxas finally said, placing a hand on Axel’s arm, while the other pointed to a specific house. “Stop here.” 

Painted a warm, golden yellow, the place didn’t stand out much compared to the other buildings around it, save for its color. To Axel, it seemed more like some little old lady’s home, than any kind of shop that would be interested in Roxas’ “wares.”

“You’re sure this is the place?” Axel asked as the two men climbed out of the car. Roxas hefted the backpack over his shoulder and shot Axel a withering look, before he headed for the door. Reluctantly, Axel followed. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’”

A little bell rang above their heads as they opened the front door and stepped inside. If the place had looked unassuming from the outside, the interior was another story, and far closer to Axel’s initial expectations. He felt his stomach do a nervous little flip as he scanned the many, many shelves of strange and sometimes morbid odds and ends the place had for sale.

Skulls and taxidermy animals stared back at him from their mounts on walls and spots on shelves. He caught sight of books on tarot cards and ghosts and anatomy sitting comfortably alongside candles, vintage bottles, doctor’s equipment, and the occasional quirky art piece.

It was definitely a place past Axel would have avoided like the plague. Current Axel wasn’t exactly keen on it either.

A young woman in an apron passed by carrying a large box. She smiled at the two of them on her way. “Hey, welcome! If you need anything, just lemme know!”

“Actually,” Roxas said and stepped forward. “I was hoping to speak to the owner.”

The woman knelt down and began to unpack a few odds and ends from the box to arrange them on a lower shelf. “Sorry, Maude’s not in today. I could tell ‘er you came by if you wanna leave your name?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to the real owner.”

The woman paused at that, and slowly turned to peer up at Roxas. He held her gaze and she looked him up and down a little, then rose to her feet. “What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t, but it’s Roxas.” 

“Last name?”

“They’ll know me.”

“And Big Red, there?” she asked, motioning to Axel.

“Axel,” Roxas answered. “He’s with me, I can vouch for ‘im.”

She hummed in thought, then nodded. “Alright Roxas, you two wait right there.” With that, she wandered off to the back, and Axel heard footsteps going up the stairs of the old house-turned-shop. After a minute or two, she returned and pointed a thumb in the direction she’d come from.

“Alright, Vivi says you can go on up.”

“Thanks.” Roxas gave her a small nod and walked through to back to where a small staircase wound up to the second floor, with Axel close on his heels.

The spooky decor continued up on the second floor, the only difference being it was clearly not for sale and was instead part of the owner’s personal collection.

“Vivi! It’s been too long!” Roxas exclaimed as they pushed through a beaded curtain.

Axel wasn’t sure what he expected this Vivi person to look like, but the odd little man so tightly wrapped up in so many eclectic scarves and draped fabrics that one could barely see his face still took him by surprise.

Wordlessly, the short little man greeted Roxas with an enthusiastic shake of the hand, then offered Axel a nod.

“I have something really good for you today,” Roxas said as he slid the backpack from his shoulders. He unzipped it and held the bag open wide for the owner to peer inside. 

Vivi didn’t say a word, but Axel could tell by body language alone that he was excited. He dug into the bag and pulled out a tooth, examining it closely before holding it up to the light.

“Got ‘em off of somethin’ real nasty in the river,” Roxas spoke as Vivi scuttled off to grab a magnifying glass off a nearby desk. “Pretty sure it was behind the recent missin’ people cases. Hopefully those’ll be in the past. The teeth were a bit of an added bonus.”

Vivi nodded as he examined the tooth further under the glass. He turned it over a few times, then returned to his desk to examine, and perhaps test the authenticity of the tooth. Roxas just watched on patiently, perfectly confident in what he’d brought.

Finally, seemingly satisfied, Vivi returned. He made a few motions towards the bag that Axel couldn’t decipher, but which seemed like no problem for Roxas.

“‘Bout twenty or so in there. We woulda grabbed more, but we didn’t have the room to carry them, and we weren’t keen to go back for a second haul.”

Vivi nodded and made a few more motions.

“Hmm, I think we could do that,” Roxas replied. “In fact... look, that _thing_ is still out there. Dead of course, but it’s gonna need to be cleaned up. I was gonna call my usual guys but... if you want to throw a little extra coin my way, I could tell you where it is. Give you a head start to scavenge what’s left.”

Vivi considered this idea, then nodded and reached out to shake Roxas’ hand a second time. Both men pulled out their phones and once Roxas’ payment had securely gone through, the teeth were all emptied out onto the shopkeeper's desk, and Axel’s backpack was finally returned to his possession.

“Always a pleasure doin’ business with ya, Vivi,” Roxas said. “Wish we could do this more often, but you know how duty calls.”

Wordlessly, Vivi clapped Roxas on the arm, and extended the same to Axel. On their way out, he even stuffed a few packs of what Axel could only assume to be rather aromatic tea into their pockets.

The woman working the bottom level gave them a knowing smile and a nod. “You guys have a good day.”

Once outside, the two piled back into Axel’s car, with Roxas looking beyond pleased with himself.

“He seemed...nice,” Axel said as he started up the engine.

“Oh, Vivi? Yeah, he’s great. I got a few folks ‘round the country who I can hawk things like that off to, but Vivi’s the best. Never tried to undercut me. I can spend an hour haggling with other folks.”

“Where uh... where does he get the money to buy that off you, and what does he do with it?”

Roxas just shrugged. “I don’t know, and I don’t ask.”

Axel chucked and shook his head as he pulled out of the spot. Perhaps that statement should have worried him, but considering the past twenty four hours, he just couldn’t be bothered. “Is everyone in this... business so... quirky?”

Roxas barked out a short laugh. “You ain’t seen the half of it.”

———

Axel’s apartment was just a hop, skip, and jump away, having been one of the new condos built in the neighborhood. The lobby was open and spacious, with a sleek black and tan decor. They rode the elevators up to the thirteenth floor and stepped out to find Axel’s unit: a black door with the numbers 808 displayed in gold.

He unlocked the door and pushed inside, breathing deeply as he returned to his familiar home. 

He had taken inspiration from the building’s decor and decorated his own place in a similar black and tan scheme. Sleek, modern furniture and a minimalist design kept the place open, and airy, and the large windows that overlooked the city below let ample light into the space during the day.

Axel kicked his dirty shoes off at the door and tossed them in a corner with his backpack. “I am so looking forward to a shower and a night in my own bed.”

When he got no response, he turned to see Roxas hadn’t moved further than the apartment entryway. He stood there, looking around the large space with wide eyes. Axel watched him for a minute and when it seemed Roxas had no intention of moving from the spot, Axel broke the quiet.

“Everything okay there, Blondie?”

“Huh?” Roxas blinked, shaken from his thoughts. “Oh yeah, ‘m fine. It’s just, yer place is...” he paused, looking around again. “Nice. Ah... really, nice.”

“I guess,” Axel replied slowly. “But uh, come on in, make yourself comfortable.”

Roxas didn’t move immediately. He took one more look around, then kicked his own shoes off by the door and cautiously padded into the apartment.

“I’m gonna go ahead and take a shower. I can feel that lake water crusting up my hair as we speak,” Axel continued. “Like I said, make yourself comfortable. Watch TV or something if you like. Remote’s on the coffee table.”

With that, he wandered back into his bedroom, smiling at the comfortable familiarity of being back home, in his own space. Everything was neat and orderly and just where he left it. The place needed a bit of a dusting after his absence, perhaps, but that aside, it was as spotless as he remembered it.

The shower itself was heavenly. The hot water was in ample supply, and Axel didn’t have to stoop to fit under the show head. He washed away all the grime and muck from the Potomac, along with all the aches and pains that came from their little escapade on the water.

At least he hadn’t been covered in unidentifiable muck this time around. That had taken ages to scrub off, and the clothes had been pretty much ruined.

Freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes, Axel stepped out of his bedroom feeling like a new man.

He found Roxas exactly where he’d left him, standing next to the couch as though he were afraid to touch anything.

“Everything okay?” Axel asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, everything’s... Everything’s fine,” Roxas replied, wholly unconvincing.

“Okay... well, shower’s all yours.”

“Huh?”

“The shower?” Axel motioned behind himself with his thumb. “All yours.”

“Oh, uh that’s okay. I mean, I don’t really have any clean clothes to change into, so it’d be kind of a waste,” Roxas said, glancing down at the clothes he’d been wearing since the night before.

Without thinking, Axel blurted out, “I can wash them for you.”

Roxas looked back up at him with a suspicious look, brow cocked as he eyed Axel.

“I mean,” Axel cleared his throat. “I need to wash my clothes anyway. And I was hoping to get one last night’s sleep here so... it wouldn’t be a problem. Just... borrow a shirt and pajama pants from me in the meantime. You can get your clothes back in the morning.”

Roxas narrowed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. “You want me to stay the night?”

“Well... why not?” Axel shrugged. “It won’t kill ya. Pretty sure my couch is more comfortable than any of the beds in the RV. Definitely more comfortable than the deck of that ship.”

Roxas was hesitant, which was odd. He made to reply, but shut his mouth a second later, seeming to not have a good reason not to take Axel up on his offer.

“Ah, hell,” he finally said, arms dropping to his sides. “Fine, we’ll stay the night here. Text Olette to tell her we’ll meet ‘em in the mornin’.”

“You got it, ‘Boss’,” Axel chuckled and watched Roxas stalk off towards his bathroom, already shedding articles of clothing as he went. Axel gathered them all up one by one and carried them to his washing machine. He loaded them in with his own dirty clothes and started the wash.

With that taken care of, he retreated back to the living room and plopped down on his couch. With the tv turned on and a text sent to Olette, Axel concentrated on ordering them dinner. He had so little in his fridge since he’d emptied it out before his trip. He’d just placed an order for pizza when another thought crossed his mind.

If he was going to go galavanting across the country with Roxas and his crew, Axel probably owed Larxene an explanation. He would still write up articles for her (if she didn’t fire him on the spot), but she needed to know he wouldn’t be continuing on his planned course, nor would he be coming back to town any time soon.

He typed out multiple emails to her, and deleted all of them. She wasn’t going to be happy no matter what, but Axel wanted to at least try and minimize her wrath as much as possible. Finally, with the seventh email written, Axel hit send before he could chicken out or change his mind again.

“Oi!” Roxas’ voice behind him nearly made Axel drop his phone. Turning around, he saw Roxas standing there, naked save for the towel around his waist. “You said something ‘bout spare clothes?”

“Oh, right!” Axel laughed and jumped up off the couch. He hurried back to his bedroom and dug through his closet for something for Roxas to wear. “They’re uh... probably gonna be a bit big,” he said as he returned with a T-shirt and pair of pajama pants. “But they’ll fit.”

“Whatever, as long as they don’t stink,” Roxas said, and Axel had to quickly avert his gaze as the other man unceremoniously dropped the towel and snatched the clothing articles offered.

Roxas stalked back into the living room and, after a moment’s pause, finally allowed himself to sit on Axel's couch. “So what hoity-toity city folk show are you watching?”

“It’s just a baking show,” Axel chuckled, then at Roxas’ blank stare. “My god, Hayner was right, you really *don’t* watch any tv, do you?”

“*Some* of us have more important work to do,” Roxas replied.

“*Some* of us could learn to take a break now and then, too.”

Roxas just rolled his eyes. “Whatever, just sit down and explain what’s goin’ on, would ya?”

Axel was more than happy to oblige.

———

Roughly an hour later, Axel was in the middle of explaining what exactly a soufflé was when there was a knock at his door. Roxas frowned but Axel just waved a hand and stood. “I forgot to tell you I ordered dinner. Hold on.”

Opening the door, Axel fully expected a delivery person to be on the other side with their pizza. Instead, he came face to face with a very angry, snarling blonde.

“What the *hell* do you mean you’re leaving town?” Larxene demanded, forcing Axel back as she stalked into the apartment. Axel regretted mentioning that he was home for the evening in his email. “You can’t just up and leave! What about your plan? Your article? What about your _job?_” She jabbed Axel’s chest with a pointed finger.

Axel held his hands up. “I’m still happy to write articles for you, Larxene! I told you that!”

“What. While you’re off fucking... sightseeing around the country with your new boyfriend?”

“Wh-he’s not my boyfriend! It’s not like that!”

Larxene barked out a shrill, derisive laugh and folded her arms over her chest. “Oh, _sure_ it’s not! You just run into an ‘old friend’ or yours, and suddenly you wanna up and move your whole life to be with him?”

“Uh...”

Both Axel and Larxene’s heads snapped to the side to see Roxas standing there, eyeing them both with a confused and wary expression.

Larxene got one good look at him and snorted. “_Not_ your boyfriend, huh? Sure looks comfy in your clothes, Axel.”

Axel groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It really isn’t like that, this just looks...”

“Bad,” Larxene finished for him. Then her glare was back on Roxas. “And just who _are_ you anyway? How does Axel know you?”

Roxas raised a brow, seeming more annoyed with Larxene than intimidated. Axel had to admire that. “Name’s Roxas. I’m a friend from when we were kids. And *_you_* are?”

“His friend and his boss. Tell me, _Roxas_, what exactly is it you do that’s got you traveling all over the country and taking this one,” she motioned at Axel with her thumb, “away with you?”

Axel and Roxas shared a look.

“Roxas is a... paranormal investigator, of sorts,” Axel said slowly, earning a sneer from Roxas at the title.

“Really, Axel?” Larxene rolled her eyes. “You couldn’t think of a better lie? You really think I’m gonna believe *you* of all people are gonna go traveling around the country looking for ghosts and shit? _You?_”

“I could if I wanted to!” Axel retorted, only for Larxene to roll her eyes in that infuriating way she had.

“Uh-huh, sure. And what’s the _plan_, Axel? You gonna be making big, big money being a ‘paranormal investigator’ with half-pint here?” She stuck her thumb out towards Roxas.

“Okay, I’m out,” Roxas said, opting to excuse himself from the spat, rather than play observer to it. He grabbed his lighter and pack of cigarettes from off one of Axel’s side tables, and marched out onto the balcony.

Axel watched him go, then with a huff, turned back to Larxene. “I _told_ you I can keep writing for you,” he continued. “If I didn’t think I could my email would have been a resignation letter-“

“And you’d be six feet under by now.”

“–BUT I _want_ to keep writing! And hey! I wanted to do a piece on the dying parts of the north west. I can still do that, but this can give me a chance to see even _more_ of the country. Places I might not have gone myself if I was just traveling on my own. Larxene this can be a great opportunity!”

“A great opportunity to do what, exactly? Throw your life away? Everything good you’ve got right here for, what, a _man?_” Larxene paced around his apartment, arms gesturing wildly as she spoke.

Axel just rolled his eyes. “I keep telling you it’s not like that. And what exactly do I have _here_, Larxene?” Axel swept his arm out across the apartment. “A nice place sure, but what else? You’re like, one of my closest and only friends in town, and you’re my _boss!_”

He ran a hand through his hair and began to pace back and forth. He’d been so relieved to be home mere moments ago, but now his place looked so... empty. “I don’t have many friends! I don’t have many hobbies! Writing _was_ my hobby and then it became a job! I don’t go out, I don’t travel outside of work, I don’t... I’m not *living* Larxene! You’re right, you do know me, so you know I’m... I’m a shut in who’s been living his life afraid of... everything.”

He let his arms hang limply at his sides and looked at the woman, helpless.

“But... I dunno. I haven’t seen Roxas in... decades. And when I did? When I was out there with him and his team? Call it cliche Larxene, but I felt alive! I felt alive when I didn’t even know I felt dead.”

“You make him sound like some manic pixie dream girl.”

Axel snorted and glanced out the window to where Roxas was on the balcony. “Manic? Maybe. Everything else, not so much.”

“And what happens when the feeling wears off, Axel?” Larxene asked. “What happens when you wake up and realize going with him doesn’t make you feel alive anymore?”

“That might not happen.”

“And what if it _does?”_

Axel sucked in a slow, deep breath. “Then... I make another change. I keep pushing forward. You’re right I have no guarantee this will make me happy in the long run, but I can at least try. It’s better than settling for a half-life.”

Larxene stared him down, cold, hard, and appraising. And Axel waited. He’d said his peace, already made up his mind. Her approval wouldn’t change that, though it would be nice.

“I’ll have to move you to being a contractor. I can’t keep you on as a regular employee if you’re going to travel without an end date.”

“That’s fine,” Axel breathed out. “That’s more than fine. Thank you, Larxene.”

“Don’t thank me,” she sneered. “I’m gonna let you keep working as a contractor. It doesn’t mean I agree with everything else.”

“Still, it’s enough.”

Larxene merely rolled her eyes and stomped towards the front door. “I’ll get your paperwork sorted out this week and send you a new contract via email.” She opened the door, then paused and looked back at Axel for a long, hard moment. 

“I think, Axel – and this is coming from me as your _friend_ – I think you’re making a mistake. Goodnight, Cunningham.”

With that she was gone, and Axel sagged, releasing a long, tired sigh. Locking the door behind her, Axel padded through the living room to join Roxas on the balcony. The man was leaning against the railing, staring down at the city below as cigarette smoke drifted idly into the cool night air.

“She seems like a real delight.”

Axel snorted. “She can be.”

Roxas hummed and took a drag from his cigarette. “So, she ain’t real happy ‘bout you skippin’ town.”

“Oh, you caught that, did you?”

Roxas huffed out a laugh. “I think the whole complex prolly did.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t really expect her to be happy. I just also didn’t expect her to come all the way _here_ to tell me as much.”

Roxas chuckled and turned his gaze back out on the sprawling city below. “And what was yer answer to her?”

“I told her I’m going with you. That was my final answer.”

“I see.”

Axel frowned. “You... don’t sound exactly enthused by that.”

“I guess I still kinda keep expecting you to change yer mind. Hell, I walked into this place and my first thought was ‘oh, he’s gonna wanna stay.’”

“Do you... not want me to come with you? Cause sometimes I still get the feeling you don’t.”

“No. Yes. I dunno.” Roxas sighed and shook his head. “It’s complicated, Axel. A part of me wants you to come with us, it really does.”

“And the other part?”

Roxas was quiet for a moment, eyes transfixed on the glowing embers of his cigarette. “Another part,” he began slowly. “Thinks you should stay. Thinks you got a good life here and... and you don’t need to be putting yerself in danger out there. It only gets harder, Axel.”

Axel groaned. “Not this again... Roxas, I _know_ your work is dangerous! I kinda just lived through two monster attacks! Both of which _I_ killed, let me remind you.”

“I’m very proud of you.”

“And I get that I’m inexperienced but I gotta learn somehow! You don’t treat the others like this! Olette almost got swallowed by that thing in the river if, again, it wasn’t for me! It’s not like I’m the only one who’ll be put in danger. Not when y’all got more marks and scars than any living creature I’ve seen! Save for blue whales maybe.”

“Blue whales?” Roxas turned and pinned Axel with a confused smile.

“They... they hunt and eat giant squids. Get all scarred up from them. They dive down deep and –that’s not the point!” Axel cut himself off. “Point is I’m not the only one at risk doing this job!”

“It’s different.”

“_How_ is it different?!”

“Because it’s _you!_” Roxas ground out. “Because-! Because it’s my fault what happened back then. I know-!” He held up a hand to stop Axel interrupting. “I know, you don’t wanna talk about it. I won’t. But it _was_ my fault. If it hadn’t been fer me you wouldn’t have... wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Wouldn’t be the way ya are now. If ya got hurt again under my watch... _because_ of me...”

He trailed off and Axel watched his face, frowning and lit from the glowing city sprawl below. Axel leaned against the railing and blew out a long sigh.

“Roxas it... what happened back then wasn’t your fault.” Then, before Roxas could argue, “It _wasn’t_. And look, this place is nice and all but it’s just a place. A place where I... don’t really have much going for me. It’s far from exciting. Or worth it.” He smiled weakly. “I went willingly back then, Roxas. Like I do now. I can make my own decisions. And I know the risks.”

Roxas was quiet, before a small, wet smile tugged at his lips. “I’m not going to convince you otherwise, am I?”

“Not a chance. You’d have to sneak out without me.” Then, as an afterthought, “Don’t do that, by the way.”

Roxas laughed and put out the lingering butt of his cigarette. “Well, since you asked so nicely, I won’t.”

“Good,” Axel said, before the silence filled the space between them. He felt the weight of it, charged and heavy with eighteen years worth of words left unsaid. Of a broken summer and a lost friendship. Calls not made, letters unsent. Something dug up and laid bare, waiting for either man to fully address it, when neither willing.

“Look,” Axel finally said, breaking the charged silence. “I… sorry. About Larxene.” He was not sorry about Larxene. At least, it’s not what he really wanted to apologize for, but it’s the best he had. “I mean, she was pretty rude and calling you my boyfriend-”

He was interrupted when the doorbell rang. Both men glanced to the open sliding glass doors, then Roxas turned back to Axel with a raised brow. “That aint her again, is it?”

“God, I hope not,” Axel chuckled, already making his way back inside. “Hopefully it’s dinner this time.”

Fortunately for them both it was, in fact, dinner, and the two settled in for a night in, watching tv and eating pizza. When it grew late, Roxas took the couch and Axel retreated to his room for one last night in his bed. 

Looking around, Axel realized it would likely be his last night there for a long, long while. The thought made him a little sad. He liked the city, and he liked his home, and it stung a bit to say goodbye for such an indefinite amount of time. Still, as much as he liked it, he now knew there was little there for him. His cozy home had become a bit of a cage.

Should he even keep the place? How long would he be on the road with the team? He hadn’t exactly made a plan. Much as he liked the idea of having someplace to come back to, it seemed silly to keep paying for an empty condo. Especially when the money could be used on travel expenses with the team.

Settling into bed, Axel made a note to look into realtors in the coming weeks.

Come morning he loaded his clean and more camping-appropriate clothing into his car, and they drove to meet the rest of the team at a local diner.

“Enjoy your romantic night in?” Hayner teased as they piled into a booth.

“Piss off and hand me a menu,” Roxas grumbled.

Olette obliged him instead, passing him and Axel a pair of sticky laminated menus. “Where to from here, Boss?”

“Hopefully, some place south. It’s getting cold and I hate trackin’ shit in the snow.”


	12. Journal of One Roxas Brooks - 2

_ **September 16th** _

_We got a message from Yuna today; a nice young forensic scientist we met years ago and kept as a contact._

_Folks have gone missing around in Maryland as of late, none recovered until now. The description of the corpse I will omit, but it was enough to raise Yuma’s suspicions, as well as my own._

_We plan to camp out at the state park the young woman went missing in, in hopes of finding something. _

_God help us, this thing sounds aquatic._

_ **September 19th** _

_I had a row with Axel today._

_I know he just wants to help and be useful, and I can see how... awkward he often feels around camp. He hasn’t quite found his niche with the group yet._

_But I can’t bring myself to allow him to go wandering just yet. He’ll slow me and Olette down. And he certainly can’t go alone. At least those are the things I tell myself, and while they hold a grain of truth, I admit I exaggerate them to maintain my own comfort._

_I don’t want Axel endangering himself. It’s my responsibility to look out for the team. With every new injury, new bruise, new scar, the fault is mine. And if one of them – gods forbid – were to die, their blood would be on my hands._

_I must admit, I don’t think I could handle it if it were Axel’s. I’ve done enough damage as is. Much of it – all of it perhaps – can’t be undone. I can only try to keep him from further harm._

_He’s angry at me for it, and I can’t blame him. I’m angry at him for pushing back, unreasonable as that may be. It doesn’t help that we’ve been here three nights and found nothing. No leads to go on, no clue where to turn next. If there is something out there, I have yet to find a trace of it, and that makes me nervous._

_Axel managed to surprise me, though. And show me up. He found a lead, and had an idea of where to look for our “leviathan”, as I suppose I’ll call it now._

_I’m both proud and rather pissed off by that._

_ **September 21** _

_The events of our search required me to go without my journal, so I must recount multiple days and events ex post facto._

_As per Axel’s idea, we headed south to a spot on the Potomac known as the ship graveyard. A fitting name for the location, really._

_The place is off limits to the public so we had to travel quickly and travel light, hence my going without my journal. I also don’t like the idea of taking my writing out onto such a large body of water._

_We found our monster, of course. Some pale, hulking thing, somewhere between an oversized amphibian or reptile. Awful thing, but then, many of them are._

_Axel somehow had the uncanny ability to know it was coming before any of us did. Saved Olette from getting swallowed up, though it was at the expense of Axel tumbling into the water himself._

_My heart nearly stopped, I won’t lie, to see him fall into the river with that thing._

_I bolted down to his level as fast as possible. I damn near thought he was gone, when I saw him below the water._

_It was the damndest thing... he looked, for a moment, like he was just standing there, as though he were on land. That river is far too deep for him to have stood on its bottom, and he was assuredly not on any of the sunken vessels laying around, because when I called out to him and plunged my hand into the water, he seemed to come to, and began to sink._

_He knows how to swim, thankfully, and as he neared the surface, Olette and I were able to haul him out._

_After that, the leviathan gave us quite the chase around the river. And low and behold who should deliver the final, albeit accidental killing blow? Axel Cunningham. Making him 2-0 in terms of taking out his targets. That’s better than even I ever managed in my early days._

_Beginner's luck? I wonder._

_It doesn’t escape me how Axel was able to sense the creature before any of us could hope to. I have yet to ask what exactly it was he saw or noticed, but something tells me it wasn’t merely him being more observant than the team or I._

_It’s the same as it was in the woods, when he heard a call seemingly meant only for his ears._

_It makes me wonder. It makes me worry._

_I... hope to give him a little more freedom, seeing as he’s held his own on these hunts twice now. But I will be keeping a close eye on these... visions? Abilities? Whatever._

_For now, Pence has us traveling down to North Carolina for a supposedly haunted opera house._

_I so look forward to seeing what leaking pipes, electrical malfunctions, and overall lack of maintenance this glorified theater tries to pass off as supernatural._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been... over a year, huh? lol sorry guys... I DIDN'T forget about this story, obvs. but it's been... a year.  
Anyway, I hope this next part lives up to the first part!
> 
> As always, much love and thanks to SirLadySketch for beta reading this work and for helping me plot out the geography of Baltimore!


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